


Calystegia

by madansemacabre



Series: Calystegia [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/F, F/M, First Time, Gang Violence, M/M, Masturbation Interruptus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:36:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 102
Words: 350,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6410923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madansemacabre/pseuds/madansemacabre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The city of Goa has always been a rough place to live. To survive, many chose to join the many gangs that dominate the city. It takes strong bonds and resilience to survive.</p><p>Ace is just waiting for his 18th birthday so that he can officially be adopted by Edward Newgate, leader of the Whitebeard gang – but falling in love with the new police chief might put a slight wrench in his plans.</p><p>Law and Rosinante have escaped to the city of Goa after a near-death encounter with Doflamingo Donquixote – but are they actually safe or is the clock ticking down until they’re killed off? And is there a point to Law attending high school as if nothing will happen and if Luffy’s joy and happiness wasn’t rubbing off on him? </p><p>Multiple POVs to tell the story of one year in the city of Goa! Modern High School AU – Rating will go up with time!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. - ACE - Love Wasn't On My Bucket List

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Ahh, this is my first fic in ages, I hope you guys like it! POVS switch per chapter but it’s always going to be stated right away who’s chapter it is! I'm hoping to update weekly - but a few chapters have already been written, just gotta review them!

Ace groaned slightly as his eyes cracked open

By the looks of it, he had fallen asleep again apparently. Honestly, being diagnosed with Narcolepsy at seventeen was not what he had asked for! (To note, he hadn’t even heard of the disorder until he got diagnosed with it).

Ace rubbed his eyes and started to look around the room he was in. Last he remembered he was in the park. He had just finished buying all of the school supplies that he and Luffy needed for the new school year. It had been annoying to cross town to get the supplies on sale, but they just couldn’t afford to just grab it at any store.  And on his way back, he sat on a park bench for a minute and ate a snack, which must have been when he fell asleep.

   
Ace squinted; it was hard to see in the dark. It was a dark room with – bars?! He was in jail?! Ace jumped up from the hard bench he was on and ran up to the bars. He grabbed them and stuck his face forward into the bars, trying to see if could see anyone “HEY!” he screamed, shaking the bars the best he could “WHY THE HELL AM I IN HERE? I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” _that you know of’_ added Ace mentally, but that’s details that they don’t need to know.

“You can relax.” stated a gruff voice from around the corner. Ace blinked. He didn’t recognize that voice. He was sure he knew every cop in town. He had lived in the area his entire life.

The cop turned the corner, and Ace’s jaw dropped. _He certainly didn’t know him_.  The man was huge. He had a large, tall built, solid with muscles that was barely contained in his button up uniform shirt. Ace could see the buttons straining to keep closed. He had thick white hair that made him look clearly much older than he probably was and a disgruntled look on his face as he came up to the bars, holding a set of keys “I found you sleeping in the park and I didn’t want to leave you there to get mugged, so I brought you here to sleep it off in the drunk tank.”  
  
“I wasn’t drunk!” barked Ace, feeling flustered.  Why was he feeling flustered anyways? Why was this cop so good looking?

“I know that. I looked at your medical alert bracelet.” Ace blinked and looked down at his wrist. He always forgets that he wears it – guess it came in handy now  
  
The police officer opened the gate and Ace stepped out “You carried me here?” Ace asked with a big smile on his face. Damn, he wishes he remembered being a carried by the man.  
  
The man grunted “Of course I did, it’s not like I could wake you up to walk you here.” Ace chuckled, then he turned and noticed something was missing “Where’s my bag?! Did I have my bag with me?!” 

The man nodded, facing Ace as he pointed behind with him with his thumb “That ugly ass green bag? Yeah, it’s in my office, c’mon.”

“Hey, my bag is awesome” stated Ace as he followed the man to his office, his eyes scanned downward. _Nice_

The police officer opened the door to an office and walked in to grab the green bag on the ground, leaning against the big wooden desk inside. Ace looked at the door and read the plate, surprised

“Captain C. Smoker?” Ace read out loud. The man turned his head slightly as he made his way back to the door, handing the bag over to Ace, who quickly checked to make sure everything was in there “Yes? That’s me. I have to say I was pretty surprised that this bag was filled with school supplies and food.”

Ace laughed “Hey, the school year starts tomorrow! A guy needs his supplies!” then Ace paused “How come I don’t know you? I was sure I knew every cop in town”

Smoker lifted a brow, staring at Ace. Ace could feel his stomach swirling – _what was going on_? “It’s not assuring for someone to say ‘ _they know every cop in town’_ you know.”

Ace shifted the bag onto his shoulder “Hey now, I’ve lived here my entire life! Of course I know the people! Also, my Gramps’ a cop, sorta.”

“I just got transferred here. Today was first day on the job, and lucky for me, I find a sleeping teenager on a park bench.”  
  
“A transfer? You sucked at your old town or something? And a captain on patrol? That’s different. The last guy just sat on his ass and did nothing” stated Ace

“I like to know my area. And no, I was transferred since I did so well and my services were needed here.”

‘ _I know what I’d like for you to service me with’_ quickly thought Ace, biting his lip to contain the comment in. Shit. He might be too into this cop. “Oh, I see”

 

They walked down the hallways towards the main reception area. It was completely dark outside.  
  
“Uh…what time is it?” asked Ace, looking towards Smoker, hoping for some good news. _‘Please let it like, super dark at 7pm or something’_  
  
“Around 2am.” replied Smoker, grabbing the thick leather jacket on the coat holder near the front of the reception area. He turned to a young woman with short black hair, sitting at a desk typing away that Ace didn’t recognize either. How was this possible? Marco made a point of making sure they knew every cop in the area. “Tashigi, I’m going to bring this kid home. You hold this place down”  
  
Tashigi nodded, a determined look on her face. Ace lifted a brow, guess she took her job seriously. “Yes captain! I’ll make sure everything stays in tip top shape and I’ll see you in the morning!”  
  
Ace blinked, looking at Smoker “You’re off the clock?” Smoker grunted, taking a cigar out of his coat pocket and sticking it in his mouth “I’ve been off the clock for a while, but I was waiting for you to wake up so I could take you home.”  
  
Ace’s head was swimming. Why was this guy so nice to him? But then Smoker’s words replayed in his head and Ace’s blood ran cold “No! No, no! You don’t need to do that! I can get home just fine by myself!”  
  
Smoker lifted a brow, scowling “Boy. It’s 2am. I’m not going to let a kid walk home at 2am.”  
  
Ace visibly bristled “Oye, I’m nearly 18! I’m not a kid! And I’ll be fine!”  
  
Smoker grunted, pointing at Ace, clearly annoyed “I don’t give a shit what you think, I’m driving you home. Now, c’mon.” Ace groaned as Smoker grabbed his arm, bringing him outside towards a police cruiser and unlocked the door of the passenger side, gesturing to Ace to get in “Either you do it voluntarily, or you get the pleasure of me waking up your parents as I deliver you to the door in my custody.”  
  
Ace groaned, rolling his eyes as he sat in the car “I’m telling you, I’ll be fine!” Smoker closed the door and walked around the car, getting into the driver’s seat.

“And I’m telling you I don’t care about your youthful perception of invincibility.” Smoker started the car and turned to Ace “So, where do you live anyways, kid?”  
  
Ace paused for a moment. Did he really want to tell this cop where he lived? Guess he didn’t have much of a choice at this point  
  
“Corvo district.”

There was a heavy pause before Smoker’s scowl got even more severe as he pointed to Ace “Like hell I would let you walk there! I’m driving you right to your front door!” then he turned around, looking at his mirrors as he pulled out and started to drive towards the district.  
  
Ace paused, surprised.

He was honestly expected to get kicked out and given a bus fair. _Nobody willing drove to Corvo district_. Even the city buses only barely go close to it, either at the neighbouring town of Windmill or at the edge of the Gate district. But nobody drove through Gray Terminal district (or what’s left of it) and much less Corvo. Who was this man?

“Uh, I know you’re new to town and everything, but you could just let me off near Gray Terminal, I can make my way easy home after that.”  
  
“No way in hell. I read all of the reports; I’m taking you right to your front door. I’ll be damned if anything happens to you under my watch”  


Ace’s heart was pounding in his chest. This man needs to stop saying all these things, he was going nuts! Ace dug through his bag for his cell as Smoker kept driving him to his place in silence. He pulled it out victoriously as he got his hands on it among all the crap in his bag, afraid it had gotten stolen while he slept. It was a beaten up old thing. Marco offered time and time again to replace it for him, but if his phone was too nice, it might get nicked at home and sold off for god knows what. He flipped the orange phone open, his small charm of his favourite character from a rhythm game he played dangling to the side, a small present from Izo.

‘ _Good, the battery’s not completely_ dead’ Ace mused as he flipped through the notifications. He quickly shot out a mass text to a bunch of his friends and quickly flipped his phone shut. He couldn’t hide the smirk on his face when his phone started buzzing like crazy.  
  
Smoker raised a brow, quickly looking in Ace’s direction then back on the road “Pretty popular at 2am, aren’t you?”  
  
Ace laughed “Are you accusing me of being a hooker?”

Smoker sputtered, slightly turning red as he looked towards the road again. The area was looking worst and worst now; it wouldn’t be long until they left the Gate district. “No, I’m saying kids like you should be in bed by now so nobody should be texting you.”

Ace huffed “For the last time, I’m not a kid, I’m 17! I’ll be legal in a few months!”

“Which means that until then, you’re a kid.” replied Smoker, barely looking away from the road.

Ace groaned, lounging back in his seat. He really didn’t want Smoker to think of him as a kid. He was starting to formulate plans for this man. This gorgeous piece of man. Maybe he should have made a fuss so that Smoker would have had to restrained him – Ace cleared his throat. He needed to calm down. Getting hard in front of the cop would just be embarrassing and would not lead to hot steamy sex inside the police cruiser. Porn is a mountain of lies.

As they entered Gray Terminal district, Ace could see Smoker looking around, unable to mask his shock as he looked around. “What the hell happened here?”  
  
“It happened about 7 years ago.” Said Ace, nonchalantly, too used to this story “A giant fire broke out and the entire district went on fire. It killed thousands of people. And the people who lived here were really poor, so either you died or you lost the very little you had to begin with.” Explained Ace, leaving out the part that it was done on purpose by the aristocrats living in High Town district and that Ace had been in the district when the fire ravaged, but he knew it would make things awkward and he didn’t know if he could trust this cop just yet.

Smoker grunted, clearly annoyed “And of course because it’s the slums, barely an effort was done to help. Always the same goddamn story. And looks like they haven’t even tried to really rebuild it either. Typical.” Ace blinked, surprised at what he heard. Maybe this guy wasn’t a stooge who just listened and repeated to everything his higher ups said. That’s odd for a cop.

Ace laughed slightly “I like you already, Captain!” Smoker snorted “Alright, we’re in Corvo now, so what the way to your place?”  


Ace sighed, pointing towards a dirt path off to the side of the road “It’s actually down that way, but you won’t be able to get to my front door. The old hag I live with is paranoid about getting robbed so she made sure that we lived in a rather secluded place where you couldn’t just drive up, but if I just go down that road, I’ll be home in no time” explained Ace, truth be told, it was more that Dadan herself WAS a crook and didn’t want the cops to be able to easily get to her and the family, but details.

 

Smoker grunted, pulling over besides the dirt road Ace pointed out and turned to glare right at him. Ace could feel himself get hot, the pit of his stomach going insane “You’re not messing with me right? That leads straight to your house? I won’t get to work tomorrow morning and find out you got killed or anything?”  
  
Ace blinked, not sure what to do with all this concern from the Captain. So he grinned “I’ll be just fine, don’t worry about it! Thank you for the ride though!” exclaimed Ace, quickly pulling out his lighter from his pocket and lighting the Captain’s cigar “These work better when they’re lit!” teased Ace, getting out of the car

Smoker blinked, surprised, then he smirked “I was trying to be polite, maybe you didn’t like cigar smoke.” stated Smoker, as he rolled down his window. Ace smiled, going around the car to stand in front of the window “You’re sure you’ll be fine? I can walk you to your door, it’s no problem.”  
  
Ace chuckled “Trust me; I’ll be dead if I show up at my door with a cop. You can just head home.”

 

As Ace was saying that, two guys started to approach the car. One was holding a knife, the other had brass knuckles on  
  
“Hey,” one of them called out “Looks like it’s our lucky day! Someone has some shit they can give us”  
  
The other one smirked “Yeah, and here I thought tonight was going to be a slow night!”

Ace paused, turned his head towards the two and glared, lifting his chin up and staring right at the two, his smile dropping instantly “The fuck you just say?”

The two men became white, scrambling as panic overtook them “ _Holy fuck it’s Ace,_ let’s get the hell out of here!”  And they ran off, almost tripping over themselves as they did.

Smoker paused, looking at the scene and then back at Ace “…Do I even want to know?”

Ace laughed “Nope! It’s better if you don’t! Goodnight Captain.”

Smoker sighed, rolling up his window “Goodnight brat.”

Ace paused a moment, then sighed before turning around to start his trek home. “I guess brat is better than kid.” mumbled Ace, walking up the well-used dirt path to his home.

 

Ace jogged up the path, knowing very well that the longer he took to get home, the less sleep he was going to get that night. He was already looking at barely 3 hours of sleep, the police station being a considerable way from his home.  Ace walked up to the decrypt old dormitory and sighed. It looked like shit. Granted, a long time ago, it was probably some sort of military housing or something, for it to be in the middle of nowhere near a forest. Basically it had been abandoned a long, long time ago and they were basically squatting. As long as someone was always home, they couldn’t have the house taken from them. It was falling apart though, if Ace was honest enough with himself. But Ace was the only one who really did any repairs on it and he went to school full-time because if he didn’t, he’d attract the attention of social workers and that’s the last thing he needed.

Ace knew very well that if a social worker ever visited their home, he and Luffy would be taken away. And he also knew very well that they wouldn’t be kept together. Luffy could easily be reclaimed by his gramps, but Ace – it wasn’t guaranteed. And it’s not like anybody took care of Luffy like he did, so he’d be damned if anybody else got him.

Ace unlocked the door quickly, sticking his key back into his pocket. He closed the door as quietly as possible to not wake up the occupants of the house. Thankfully he’s lived here his whole life, minus that stint where he, Luffy and Sabo lived in their treehouse, so navigating in the dark wasn’t an issue. He quickly made his way to the hallway that led to the bedroom, carefully navigating around the people sleeping in the living room. Once in the hallway, he grabbed the rope hanging from the ceiling, pulling it down to reveal a ladder and the opening to the attic. He carefully pulled it down and quickly climbed into the attic and pulled the door shut with the ladder. Once it was carefully closed, he surveyed the room.

It was a tiny, cramped room, with two small beds crammed into a tiny space. Between the two beds, there was a small dresser with two lamps on it and behind Ace a chest that was filled with whatever junk they shoved in there and a bookcase filled with many random things as well. On one of the beds, Luffy laid sleeping, drool on the side of his mouth as he was muttering about meat. Ace chuckled quietly, walking up to his brother’s bed and plopping down in front of it. He reached underneath the bed, using only the moonlight to see, and pulled out a red back pack and groaned.

Ace was sure the bag was in better shape than this last time he saw it. This would put him back. Ace turned around and reached out under the unoccupied bed and pulled out a Danish cookie tin and opened it revealing a sewing kit. As fast as he could, he repaired the bag as much as he could, but the reality of the thing is that it needed to be replaced.

“Maybe I can convince Garp to get Luffy one for Christmas.” muttered Ace as he finished up the last stitch. He put the bag down and reached into his own bag, pulling out the school supplies he had bought for the both of them, separating them into the different classes and labeling them accordingly. He quickly put the supplies in Luffy’s bag and set it besides the dresser for Luffy to find in the morning. Ace then quickly flipped his phone open and saw the time.  
  
3:35am  
  
Fuck.

Ace set the alarm on his phone for 5:30am and plugged it into his charger near his bed. He quickly stood up and took off his t-shirt and hoodie and stripped off his jeans. Fuck it, he was sleeping in his boxers tonight. Ace laid on his bed and his mind quickly went back to Captain Smoker.

‘ _God he was gorgeous’_ thought Ace, his hand grazing down his stomach. Ace was well aware of his sexuality, with his crushes being more or less exclusively male but he had never gotten _that_ worked up over another man before. But man oh man, did the Captain hit all of his hot spots. Ace closed his eyes, thinking of his chest, his arms, his face, that chin, those warm brown eyes, his hair, fuck he wanted to run his fingers through it, wanted to nip his earlobes, suck on his neck  - WHOAH! Ace jumped, eyes wide open as he remembered where he was, who was in the bed besides him and also that he _REALLY_ needed to get some sleep because tomorrow is going to suck ass if he works on even less sleep than he already has to work with. Ace smirked to himself as he closed his eyes. One thing’s for sure, he wasn’t done with the Captain.

 

Alarms could die in a fucking fiery pit if you asked Ace.  
  
Ace groaned, turning over in his bed to turn the goddamn offending thing off. He then shot a glare at Luffy who was still sleeping away. The bastard had another hour easy to sleep in. Ace shook his head, dragging his tired body out of bed. He opened the dresser and pulled out the clothes he needed and his green bag and opened the hatch, heading downstairs. If he was lucky, nobody would be up at this time.  
  
Ace quickly slipped down to the main level and beelined straight for the bathroom. Success! It was empty! He quickly closed the door and locked it, not taking any chances of someone coming in. Ace turned to look at himself in the mirror and groaned. _Fuck_ , not only did he look like shit, he’d have to shave this morning _again_. Ace considered himself pretty lucky having taken so much of his appearance from his mother, but of course his father had been a hairy man and that’s what he had to have inherited from him – that and his built and hair colour. Ace sighed, turning on the shower. The pipes loudly creaked and moaned in protest but Ace didn’t care if he woke everyone in the house. If they’re just going to laze around the house all day anyways, they can goddamn sleep later. Ace got into the shower and his mind wandered back to last night.

He smiled to himself, closing his eyes. He wondered how the captain kissed. Would it be small pecks, or would his kisses be deep and serious. He took his job really seriously; he probably took every other aspect really seriously too.  Would he hold him tight? Would his grip leave faint imprints of fingers on his hips? Would he grip his hair? Would he cup his ass? Grip his ass? Would he be gentle and forceful or demanding and rough? Would he-  
  
“ACE! I TOLD YOU TO STOP USING THE GODDAMN SHOWER AT 5 IN THE FUCKING MORNING! YOU’RE WAKING EVERYONE UP IN THIS HOUSE!” screeched Dadan while banging on the bedroom door.  
  
“Well now the mood is killed” muttered Ace, shaking in frustration as he grabbed his washcloth and the sad leftover soap he had left “UNLIKE YOU PEOPLE, I HAVE PLACES TO BE! I’M ALMOST DONE ANYWAYS, SO WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE” screamed back Ace, he didn’t need this today!

“YOU BETTER BE, OR I’M CUTTING OFF THE WATER” threatened Dadan and then Ace could hear her stomping away back to her room, slamming the door  
  
‘ _You do that already when you don’t pay for the fucking water’_ thought Ace as he quickly showered and shaved himself. He got dressed and quickly got out of the bathroom.

Even though Dadan said that he had woken up everyone, it didn’t actually seem like anyone was up. Ace made his way to the kitchen, carrying his bag with him. Once he reached the kitchen, he took his bag out and removed assorted cold cuts and a few vegetables, boxes of granola bars, cookies and snacks and a loaf of bread and condiments. He quickly started putting together two lunches for himself and his brother and put them in the shopping bags that the ingredients were sold in. One day he’ll have to get Luffy an actual lunch bag. Ace then took out a small carton of eggs and took the vegetables and cold cuts he had left and cut those up too and started to make an omelette.  
  
“That smells good.”  


Ace jumped slightly and turned around, looking straight forward, then down. Oh, looks like Dogra was up  
  
“It’s not for you, it’s for Luffy.” stated Ace, glaring at his roommate, making sure he wasn’t getting any funny ideas  


“I know, I know. I also know you hoard food in that bag of yours.” stated Dogra, pointing to the bag  
  
“Well maybe if some people didn’t insist on robbing me when I left food in the cupboards, I wouldn’t NEED to hoard food now would I?” replied Ace, putting the cooked omelette on a plate. He then dumped the frying pan into the sink, making Dogra frown  
  
“Who do you think is going to clean that?” Dogra asked, avoiding commenting on Ace’s statement

“Any one of you that’s spending all day at home. I don’t have time, I have to feed Luffy and get him to his bus so that he’s not late for school. And furthermore, I provide most of the food for all of you, so shut up!” Ace put the lunches he made in his bag and grabbed the plate with the omelette and left the kitchen.

He made his way back up to the room and set the plate down on top of the dresser and pulled one of the lunches out of his bag and quickly put it in Luffy’s. ‘ _There. He’s all ready to go; now he just needs to get up_ ’

Ace turned to the small window in the attic and pulled the frail curtains out of the way, lighting up the room considerably. Then he turned to his brother, still sleeping away in his bed and loomed over him  


“Luffy. Get up.”

Luffy mumbled in response and turned on his side, away from Ace.

Ace lifted a brow, frowning and took the plate and put it right by Luffy’s face “Luffy get up or I’m going to eat this!”

Luffy’s eyes snapped open as he reached forward, grabbing Ace by the waist “NO! IT’S MINE!” then he blinked, looking up at his brother, who looked slightly amused by his antics “Good morning, Ace!”

Ace chuckled softly, offering the plate to his brother “C’mon, eat up and get dressed, we have to go soon to make sure you’re at the bus stop on time!”

Luffy nodded and eagerly ate away at his breakfast, then stopped to stare at Ace “Where’s yours?” Ace blinked, looking through his cellphone messages “I already ate, don’t worry about me.” Ace frowned, staring at his phone “Hey…did we have plans with Sabo?”

Luffy blinked, as he kept eating his breakfast “No? Are we hanging out with Sabo today?!” Ace frowned more, and then shrugged “I don’t know, cryptic text from him, saying I needed to tell him all about last night later? I don’t know, I’ll call him during lunch.”

Luffy frowned, looking down at his food “I wish we could hang out with Sabo more often.”

Ace sighed sadly. He felt the same way as his brother. It wasn’t Sabo’s fault though, Sabo did the best he could _, it was that goddamn family of his_. Especially after the ‘ _incident_ ’.  But Sabo was back in their lives after so many years, so in Ace’s books, it’s better than nothing.

“He does the best he can, Luffy.” stated Ace, getting up to ruffle Luffy’s hair. Luffy only grinned brightly in response. “I know! I’m happy we just have Sabo back!” Ace chuckled, taking the empty plate out of Luffy’s hands  
  
“C’mon, your bag’s all ready, I packed your lunch and you showered last night, right? _Tell me you showered last night, Luffy._ ”  
  
Luffy nodded, grinning brightly “Yeah! Nami told me that if I didn’t – she would string me alive!” Ace snorted, thank you, Nami.

“Excited for your first day of high school?” asked Ace, setting the plate on top of the dresser – he could deal with that when he gets home

“Yeah! I had a hard time sleeping because I was so excited!” said Luffy, opening up the drawer and taking out a pair of jeans shorts and a big yellow t-shirt with a face on it, quickly putting them on.  


Ace lifted a brow at his choice “It’s gonna be cold outside you know, it’s September. Put on a hoody or something, I don’t want you getting sick!”

Luffy huffed, pointing at Ace “You’re wearing like the same thing!” Ace blinked, looking down, he was wearing a Gudetama t-shirt with an opened yellow short-sleeved button up shirt that had purple polka-dots and a pair of black shorts that went to his knees with a heavy orange belt with a big buckle. He had a black cowboy hat on his head with red and blue charms on it. Ace actually had two hats, the other one being orange, and alternated when he felt like it.  

“My body temperature is like, a million times higher than yours, kid! Wear a damn hoody!” barked Ace, pulling out Luffy’s favourite red one and presenting it to him. Luffy huffed and put it on, knowing better than to argue with Ace for too long. Ace just smiled, glad that he won and put Luffy’s strawhat on his head, making his little brother grin brightly.  
  
Luffy and Ace slipped out of their houses and Ace went around the back for a moment, coming back with two metal pipes, handing one over to Luffy “Let’s go, we have to get you on the 7 o’clock city bus so that you can make it to Usopp’s in time for the school bus.”

Luffy blinked “Huh? Aren’t you coming with me?”

Ace laughed “Nope! Only first year nerds like you take the bus to school, I’m gonna get a ride in with the guys.”

Luffy huffed, slightly shoving Ace with his free arm “Hey!”

  
  
The two boys continued chatting as they walked through the Corvo district and then entered the Gray Terminal district. Even if it was not even 7 in the morning, it was still a really rough district, Ace and Luffy had to be ready for a fight anytime, hence the pipes.

The metal pipe had been Ace’s signature weapon when he was kid. When Sabo joined up with him, he adopted it too, and when Luffy joined them years later, so did he. To this day, even though they were both incredible at basic street fighting, people had learned to leave the boys with the metal pipes alone.  Ace wasn’t called ‘The Devil of Corvo District’ for nothing.

Soon enough they made it to the first and only bus stop in Gray Terminal, just in time to see the bus rolling up. Luffy handed his pipe back over to Ace “Alright Luffy, you go straight to Usopp’s, okay? And I’ll see you in school.” Luffy nodded, getting on the bus with a bright side and warm goodbye.

Ace waved back until the bus was out of sight and then smirked. It was time for his plan. Ace quickly bolted down the street, right back to the house. He put the pipes back and started running in the opposite direction, towards Windmill district.

It took Ace a good 10 minutes of solid sprinting to get to where he needed, but soon enough, he pushed the doors open to Party’s Bar. Technically it was a pub, but details. Ace smiled brightly, waving at the woman behind the counter.  


Makino was in Ace’s eyes, the only real saint he’s ever known. She had been so incredibly nice to him as a kid that she’s also the only girl he’s ever had a crush on. Makino was taking care of Luffy since he was born, so Luffy kinda considers her like his mom. But when Luffy met Shanks, everything changed and Luffy’s gramps decide that Luffy needed to live elsewhere, hence how he wound up living with him. But Makino visited often enough, which is how he got to know her.

“Ace! What are you doing here? Don’t you have school?!” asked Makino, shocked to see Ace. Ace merely grinned “Don’t worry! School starts at 9:30! The thing is, I needed some of your amazing coffee!” answered Ace, pulling out his wallet and taking out the money he needed. A Large should be good?

Makino frowned slightly “Ace! You didn’t need to come here for that!”  
  
Ace shook his head, presenting her the money “No, I really did! It’s not for me though, it’s for this cop that really helped me out last night, I wanted to give him the best coffee in town as a thank you, he’s new to town too, so maybe he’s become a customer!”

Makino giggled, grabbing one of the to-go cups and poured the coffee inside “Not every day you’re thankful to a cop, Ace. I thought you avoided them like the plague.”

Ace blushed, shifting his cowboy hat off to scratch his head “Yeah, I know, but this guy, he was, yeah. I just want to say thanks and stuff.”

Makino giggled again as she handed him the cup and a bag of cream and sugars “Here, I’m assuming you don’t know how he takes it. Tell this officer hello for me and thank him for me for helping you”

Ace smiled brightly, man, Makino was the greatest “Will do!”

 

Ace then bolted out of the restaurant and started to run towards town. If he was lucky – he’d get to the police station by 6:30 and hopefully the coffee will still be warm, but Makino had packed it up real tight, so Ace hoped so.

Thankfully Ace’s prediction was right and he rolled into the police station at exactly 6:30, with a bright smile on his face. “Good morning everyone!”

Tashigi blinked, standing up, surprised “Oh, you’re the boy from last night! Did you forget something?”

Ace shook his head and grinned “No, no, but is the captain in? I wanted to give him a little thank you for last night”

Tashigi blinked and then she smiled brightly, turning around “I’ll go get him!” but then she tripped on something Ace couldn’t see past the counter and fell flat on her face. Ace jumped, wanting to go help her but not knowing if he was allowed around the counter, but she quickly got up “I’m okay!”

“Tashigi, did you just fall again?”

Ace couldn’t stop himself from smiling brightly. There he was! Smoker turned the corner, staring at Tashigi, not impressed. She smiled brightly “I’m okay sir! Sorry, I was coming to get you, the boy from last night is here and –“

“I can see him.” stated Smoker, turning his gaze towards Ace, lifting a brow. “How come you’re here, brat?”

“Came to show you that I’m not dead?” teased Ace, smiling, and then he presented the coffee to Smoker “Actually I wanted to bring you this as a thank you for last night. It’s coffee from Party’s Bar and Makino makes the best cup of joe in town, so here you go!”

Smoker sighed, smiling slightly “You didn’t have to do that, kid.”

“But I wanted to! I could have gotten mugged or worst out there and you helped me so are you really not going to take your small thank you gesture?” stated Ace, wiggling the coffee cup a little more, pleading eyes at Smoker

Smoker rolled his eyes and approached the desk, taking the coffee “Alright, I’ll take your coffee, but it’s my job to make sure people are safe.” Smoker took the bag of cream and sugar and started to prepare his coffee, Ace carefully watching how he did it for future reference “Don’t you have school?”

Ace blinked, surprised to have gotten addressed and grinned “Yeah, but like, in a few hours, I’ll be fine!” Then he watched as Smoker took a sip, the man looked surprisingly pleased with the coffee  


“Shit, you weren’t kidding about this coffee” stated Smoker, looking down at the cup. Ace grinned “Makino’s the goddess of coffee, let me tell you!”

Then Smoker gestured towards Ace with the cup holding the coffee “Also kid, what the hell are you wearing?”

Ace looked down “Oh, this is Gudetama, he’s like, this super lazy egg and- “

“No, I mean the whole outfit”

Ace blinked “What? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s blinding”

Ace smirked “Maybe I like attention”

“Well you’re going to get it in that” retorted Smoker, not looking impressed

“Well, then I got the attention I wanted.” purred Ace, biting his lip slightly as he locked eyes with the officer.

Smoker turned red and sputtered slightly, not sure how to respond to Ace’s comment. Ace merely laughed and waltzes his way out the door, smirking, proud of himself, as he didn’t break eye contact with the officer “Have a nice day, Cap~tain!”

“ _Get the hell out of here, you brat!”_ barked Smoker as Ace made his way out the door, laughing.

 

Ace looked at his watch once outside. Even though he told Makino that school started at 9:30, it was more like, _class started at 9:30_ , but you were marked late if you showed up after 8:45, so he had to time this just right to not be late.

Ace broke out into another sprint. If he was lucky, he might just make it.

Half an hour later, Ace was cutting across someone’s yard when he spotted exactly what he needed. He bolted into the street, stopping right in front of a car at the stop sign and slapped the hood of the car “Hi!” The driver flipped him off and honked the horn as Ace laughed and went around the car, opening the back passenger door and getting in, taking a seat  
  


“Wow guys, that’s a rude welcome”

Marco turned around from the driver’s seat, frowning at Ace “What the fuck man, I almost ran you over! And why the fuck haven’t you answered your phone?!”

Thatch laughed, sitting in back seat besides Ace, handing him a Tupperware “Here you go, I put aside some breakfast from this morning for you.”

Ace made a pleased noise and took the Tupperware, smiling brightly “Thatch, you’re a beautiful human being, you know that?”

“Stop distracting him with food!” barked Marco, pointing at Ace “You can’t text me that shit and then not answer!” Izo laughed softly from the passenger side, not looking away from the car mirror, as he was checking his makeup. Ace was almost in awe at Izo’s abilities with makeup, he was seriously a magician when it came to it.

“Relax, Marco. Ace is fine.”

Marco huffed, starting to drive down the road, clearly not amused with Ace’s antics “Why weren’t you at the meeting last night? I texted you and you never answered. You missed some really important info”

“Is Pops mad?” asked Ace, digging away at his breakfast. Thatch was such a great cook!

“No, Pops isn’t mad. He figured you had a good reason to miss the meeting. But I’m mad, and I want to know what that reason is!” replied Marco, gripping the steering wheel a little harder  
  
“Oh, I was in jail.”

Marco slammed on the brakes, sending everyone forward. Marco and Thatch both turned to look at Ace stunned. Izo blinked, closing his eyeshadow pallet slowly and turned towards Ace

“Ace. Why where you in jail?”

“And why didn’t you call me?! I could have easily bailed you out!” remarked Marco, shocked

“Oh! I wasn’t in jail for a bad thing! I had a narcolepsy spell in the park so I was taken to the drunk tank until it wore off, which apparently was at around 2am.” explained Ace, finishing the rest of the food in the Tupperware

Izo frowned slightly “That’s when you sent the text, by the way, what the hell was that about? ‘I think I met the love of my life’?”

Thatch chuckled softly “Yeah, that was weird, it isn’t like you to get all mushy like that”

Marco frowned, continuing to drive towards the school “Yeah, mind elaborating on that? You never replied to any of us when we asked you more about that”

“Oh sure! So basically, the cop who took me in is like, amazing! I never saw him before though, but he’s gorgeous and is a brick house of muscles, and tall, and he’s really blunt and honest, kinda really gruff, anyways, I just really liked him. I brought him some of Makino’s coffee this morning as a thank you!” answered Ace happily, still on the buzz from the interaction this morning

Everyone else in the car froze in silence, staring at Ace. Marco quietly pulled over and put the car on park. Then he put his head in his hands “Ace. What was the name of this cop?”  


“Uh, Captain C. Smoker, why?”

“OH MY GOD!”  yelled the three others collectively, all looking exasperated. “Of course it had to be him! Of course!” cried Izo, carefully massaging his temple. Thatch just started laughing hard, his face turning red and tears forming at the corner of his eyes

“Out of all the goddamn people, Ace, _seriously_?!”

Ace blinked, confused, then he frowned “How come you all know him and I don’t?”

Marco sighed, opening up the storage compartment between his and Izo’s seat, pulling out an ipad. He quickly unlocked it and started to open up a PowerPoint presentation.  “Because you missed some important info last night” replied Marco, before swiping to a picture of Smoker and handing it over to Ace “Is that him?”

Ace smiled softly at the picture “Yeah, that’s him! Can you send me a copy of that?”

“Captain Chase Smoker of Loguetown is one of the three new cops to the area.” started explaining Marco, ignoring Ace’s question “He’s renowned for single-handily solving the ‘gang’ problem over there, and was sent here to do the same.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!”

“Ace. _We’re the gang problem_.”

Ace looked sheepish as he scratched his head “Oh right, haha, shit”

Even though they looked like four teenage boys in a car in reality, they were high ranking commanders of the Whitebeard gang with their own divisions and subordinates.  The Whitebeard’s territory was pretty much the entire city. They weren’t an aggressive gang in general, but they could be extremely violent when crossed. Ace had joined the gang about a year prior, after his own gang had been dissolved by the Whitebeards. Ace had tried his hand at taking them down and lost – but all of his men got to also join the Whitebeards, so that was fine in Ace’s books.

It was common in the city to either join a gang or start a gang. There was a severe division in this world, and if you weren’t noble or already well off, you basically had to live a meager existence, join the military or be a cop and have to follow orders for the rest of your life or join a gang and hope to somehow make something of yourself. There was money in gang activity and a lot of it. Ace personally wasn’t looking for fame or glory; he just liked the lack of restrictions that came with being in a gang. Also, he enjoyed fighting more than he cared to admit.

“31 years old, turning 32 in March. Was a captain in the Marines until he was discharged about two year ago and then became a cop in Loguetown, which is his home town and pretty much single-handedly got rid of the gang problem” continued Marco

Ace frowned “That’s it? You usually don’t have so little info; usually you have everything they’ve ever done and what kind of underwear they wear.”

“Yeah, Ace really wants to know what kind of underwear the captain wears” added Izo with a smirk  


Ace smirked “You know, fantasy fodder, very important”  
  
Thatch laughed “Oh gross man”

“ _Anyways_ ” stressed Marco, getting tired of everyone’s antics “I was weirdly enough unable to get any real info about him aside that his mother’s dead and he has an aunt still living in Loguetown. When I asked Pops about it, he just laughed and told me not to be too concerned about it”

Ace frowned slightly. It wasn’t like Pops to just disregard things like this. Maybe the old man knew something and didn’t feel like it was important for Marco to know about it. Which by itself would be really weird since Marco was Pop’s right hand man. Regardless, it was weird.

“The next new cop is Tashigi Shigure.” started Marco, flipping to the next picture on the ipad. Ace blinked, it was the clumsy cop he met at the station. “She was also in the marines with Smoker, his First Lieutenant, actually. When the captain discharged from the Marines, so did she. The two enlisted to become cops at the same time and generally work as a pair.”

“ _Whoah whoah whoah_ ” cut off Ace, brow furrowed together “Are they like, _together_?”

Marco shook his head “Nothing to worry about, there is nothing indicating them of ever having a romantic relationship, you can calm down, now.”

“But, she is rather efficient at what she does and basically counters his flaws, apparently the Captain isn’t a fan of any bureaucratic things like paperwork, so she does it.” added Izo as he’s checking his phone

“Exactly. But the one cop that we’re really gonna have to keep an eye on is actually the third new recruit.” stated Marco, as he flipped to the next picture on his ipad. Ace frowned, he didn’t see him at the station.

“He was actually part of the police force since last year but he was recovering from injuries, but before that, he was an undercover agent for secret services. But he chose to blow his mission to save the life of a 13 year old boy that was involved in the gang he had infiltrated to shut down. The boy was dying of white lead disease and there was only one vial of the cure left that was going to be sold off for billions on the black market. Long story short, he was discovered and they shot into him multiple times to try to kill him but he somehow survived. So the two were relocated here a year ago to recover from the affair but clearly their lives are in danger, so they’re technically hidden here.”

Ace frowned “They hid a guy hiding from a gang in a gang infested city?”

Marco shrugged “Well, to be honest, it’s rather brilliant, considering the Whitebeards, the Red Hairs, and all our other allies would never cooperate with the Donquixote gang to hand him over.”

Ace stared at Marco shocked “ _What_?! The guy screwed over the Donquixote gang?! How the hell did he even infiltrate it in the first place? Doflamingo doesn’t just take anybody.”

“It’s easy when you’re his little brother.” stated Marco, flipping to the next picture which showed the cop and Doflamingo Donquixote side by side – the resemblance was clearly there

“His real name is Rosinante Donquixote, but now he’ll be going by the name Rosinante Trafalgar since he apparently insisted that the kid keeps his real name. He’ll be attending our school, hence why I wanted you to know about this before we go. The kid’s name is Law Trafalgar.” explained Marco, flipping to a picture of Law.

“Is he Luffy’s age?” asked Ace, squinting slightly

“He’ll be in _Luffy’s homeroom_. I already checked.”

“How come we never heard of this guy before though, I thought we knew the names of every member of the Donquixote gang?”

“Because he used to go by the name Corazon.”


	2. -LAW- This Has The Makings of a Sitcom! (Albeit A Cheap One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Thank you for all the kudos and the nice comments! I was super nervous about putting this up so I’m really happy you guys are liking it! Now onward to Law’s POV!

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

Law inhaled sharply, trying to not roll his eyes but failed in the end.  He understood where Cora was coming from, but it was getting annoying to constantly be asked if he was going to be okay.

“I’m fine, Cora. You can stop asking. I’m just going to school; I’m not going to go run a triathlon.”

Cora let out a frustrated sound, mumbling about how one didn’t run a triathlon to begin with. It was actually kinda really funny to watch him drive. Cora was over 7 foot tall and any time he needed to get in a confined space like a car, it was just really funny because he basically had to cram himself in. It didn’t help that his police uniform is rather ill-fitting as well. His custom made one didn’t arrive yet.  


“You just recovered from a disease that should have killed you; I have every right to be worried! I don’t want you to push yourself too hard, if you need to stop or leave, you let me know, okay? Don’t be such a damn teenager!” replied Cora, clearly annoyed. Law watched him chew on his bottom lip, he could tell that Cora really wanted to smoke a cigarette, but he was strictly told to cut down due to his heart. It was new after all.

 

They had gotten extremely lucky.

Not only did they go rogue on Doflamingo Donquixote but they also robbed him of a massive sale. Law had gotten lucky, aside from getting brutally beaten by an associate of Doflamingo, he escaped having been given the cure to the disease that was killing him. Cora on the other hand…  
  
Cora had gotten shot up like crazy when he stole the cure in the first place from the gang selling the last vial, beaten as well by the same associate that beat up Law (Law still had nightmares about it) and then Doflamingo himself plugged him full of bullets and left him to die. And Law was sure that Cora was dead. But Cora had instructed him to not look back and escape – so he did.

He was picked up by secret services agents that Cora worked with and they told him they would recover Cora’s body and Law was brought straight to the hospital. Even if Cora had administered the only cure left for the White Lead Disease, it still had to work itself out of his body. Law was lucky though. His entire city had been plagued by the environmental disease that was caused by too much exposure to the toxic lead in its original form – but it was declared contagious (which it wasn’t, but it was a good way to sweep the problem under the rug) and everyone in his city was to be kept under quarantine until they found a cure. Or so they though.

The World Government soon started to kill everyone in town.

 

Law was the only survivor.

 

While recovering at the hospital, Law had heard people talking about a giant John Doe and he quickly went to go see who it was – and to his marvel, it was Cora.

It took massive surgeries and a heart transplant to save him and also an extremely long recovery time in general, but to Law, it was okay, because Cora was there.

 

“If anyone should make sure not to push themselves, it’s you! I’m not the one on my second heart, you took your meds right? You have to make sure your body doesn’t reject your heart!” snapped Law, he didn’t mean to be so rough with Cora, but he’s from a family of doctors and has studied medicine since he was a kid, he knows what happens to transplant patients when an organ doesn’t take and he’ll be damned if he loses Cora again.

“Of course I did! You yelled at me this morning to take them!” replied Cora, puffing his cheeks.  Law couldn’t stop watching Cora as he drove. He knew what he was doing was a mere defense mechanism, a confirmation that Cora was still alive and it wasn’t a long drawn out dream and that was he was still in that box, hearing him get shot –

Law closed his eyes, putting his hands over them. _Oh god, not now_. He took a deep breath, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale

“Law?! Are you okay?! Do you need me to pull over?! I’m gonna pull over. Do you want to just go home and rest? They don’t really do anything too important on the first day anyways, you could just stay home?!”

Law opened his eyes and looked towards Cora who was looking at him beyond worried. Even without all the makeup Cora wore when he infiltrated the gang, he still looked really expressive.  Law smiled as Cora ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m fine, I swear, Cora. And we can’t go back now, Bepo will be late.” stated Law, pointing behind him with his thumb to the young man sleeping in the back seat

Cora laughed “I don’t think Bepo would mind too much staying home either, he seems pretty out of it right now!”

Law chuckled softly. Bepo was his best friend.  When Law was at the hospital recovering, his neighbour in the next bed was Bepo. Bepo had just lost his entire family in a big accident. Bepo never went into details about it and Law never pushed.  Bepo was a big kid, he didn’t look like he was 15 like Law at all. He was really tall and had a huge frame, but he was all smiles and laughter. Law always liked the stark contrast between his black skin and his white shaggy hair. In the end Bepo just reminded him of a bear. After Law found Cora in the hospital, Cora soon offered to take both boys home with him permanently, adopting them both.

They were given a house in the city and new identities. Cora insisted that Law kept his name, it being the last remains of his family. Cora went from Rosinante Donquixote to Rosinante Trafalgar, and Bepo also adopted the Trafalgar name having no attachment to his family name. Cora was added to the local police force and Law and Bepo were signed up to the local high school.

Technically they were under the witness protection program but Law knew very well that Doflamingo would find them one day if he hadn’t already. Cora knew that very well as well. One day their domestic farce would end. Law dreaded the day.

Cora sighed, restarting the car and going back on the road “You know you have to get used to calling me Rosinante.” stated Cora nervously, knowing very well it wasn’t a topic Law liked

Law gritted his teeth. He knew that, but he hated that name. It just reminded him that Cora was actually a Donquixote and shared blood with that monster Doflamingo. To be perfectly honest, Law loved that Cora was now a Trafalgar like himself – not that he’d ever tell Cora that.

“No thank you, I’m gonna stick to Cora. We both know it’s not going to really change anything.” stated Law, frowning. He wasn’t budging on this one. 

“Uurrgghh fine, but just you.”

 

“Bepo calls you that too.”  


“Fine! Both of you only then!” exclaimed Cora, clearly frustrated with the whole ordeal.

“Are we at school yet?” asked a sleepy voice in the back of the car. Law turned around and smiled “Naw, not yet, Bepo. You can keep sleeping if you want.”

Bepo chuckled “Naw, it’s okay; we’re only a few blocks away.”

Law blinked, looking back at Bepo “Oh.” Law pointed to the side of the road “You can pull over right here, Cora.”

Cora lifted a brow “Huh? But Bepo just said it’s a few more blocks.”

“Yeah, but it’s totally lame to show up at the front door with your dad.”

Cora looked at Law with an expression that was a cross between annoyed and happy but kept driving.

“Cora!”

Cora didn’t say anything, looking forward as he kept driving, but with a full smirk on his face – _oh that asshole_!

“CORA. PULL OVER RIGHT NOW.” barked Law, _this is gonna be bad_!

Bepo laughed “You messed up big, Law”

“SHUT UP!” snapped Law at Bepo, then he turned to Cora “C’mon, please, PLEASE just pull over”

“Sorry…” mumbled Bepo, sinking back in his seat

“See, I was gonna” started Cora, a huge smirk on his face now. _God he’s such an ass_ “But then you were mean to Bepo, and for that, you need to be _punished_.”

“…you suck monkey’s balls, Cora.” mumbled Law, sinking back in his seat. He knew he deserved that one.

Cora chuckled, pulling over the side, right in front of the school gate “You have your hobbies, I have mine. Anyways, here you go, remember to give the school doctor your meds, okay? You need to go see her every day at lunch, Dr.Kureha is already expecting you.”

Law sighed, nodding as he grabbed his bag and opened the door “Yeah yeah, I know. C’mon Bepo.”

Cora then opened his own door, causing Law to whip his head back “Oh no, c’mon, no!”

“I drove you to the gate to punish you for being mean to Bepo, but now you’re gonna get punished for calling me embarrassing.” replied Cora, a huge smile on his face

Law usually loved that smile – _but not right now_

“ _You wouldn’t_ ” hissed Law, trying to grab his things and leave as fast as possible

“Oh, wouldn’t I?” replied Cora, getting out the car and stretching his limbs – yeah he probably needed to do that, thought Law, but now he had to escape without making a scene.

“HAVE A NICE DAY AT SCHOOL, LAW” yelled Cora, waving his arm enthusiastically as Law walked away.

Oh my _god_.

“Stop that! Go back in the car!” barked Law, aggressively pointing at the car while Bepo was howling away besides him, finding it hilarious, hunched over laughing.

“BE SURE TO BE NICE TO ALL THE OTHER KIDS, OKAY?! AND LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHERS!!”

He was so dead when Law went home. ‘ _Gonna fill the fucking fridge with pizza_.’ plotted Law, putting his hat on his head and pulling it over his eyes but tonight they were supposed to go for celebratory sushi, and he didn’t want to ruin that.  Right now surviving the humiliating moment was his main concern. Law could feel how red his face was.

 

Cora cackled, this was too funny. Fundamentally, he knew that nobody particularly cared about what he was doing – but Law was a typical teenager, and of course was overly concerned about his image. That thought made Cora smile _. Law could finally be a typical teenager_.  It was all he really wanted, and it made blowing his four year mission all worth it. He genuinely hoped that Law would be able to fit right in. Now though, he had to get to work, himself being the new kid at work.

 

Bepo kept laughing until he stopped to make a sound of awe. Law blinked, looking up. “What?” Bepo pointed to a car in the parking lot. “Look at that blue mustang with the blue flames painted on it. It’s really cool looking!” Law blinked, it was kinda – obnoxious. But then again, he had his eye on a yellow car, so he wasn’t any better. “I forgot a bunch of Whitebeards attended school here.” stated Bepo as he watched a bunch of guys around the car talking.

Law had heard of the Whitebeards – it was the major reason Doflamingo never did business in this area. Edward Newgate, the leader of the Whitebeards _hated_ Doflamingo. As well as Whitebeard’s allies and they were a massive and powerful group. There was no point in trying to cross them or try to take them down; their numbers compared to the Donquixote gang were just too great. But right away Law recognized the second in command of the Whitebeards; Marco the Phoenix.

Law wasn’t sure how Marco got the nickname, but he was renowned in gang circles merely for one, being extremely young for a second in command of a massive gang like the Whitebeards but also for his insane information gathering abilities. Law was certain that Marco knew exactly who he was and what he and Cora where doing in town. Especially since him and the other gang members were currently starring at him. 

As Law was trying to make something of them, he heard the clopping of sandals coming towards him. He turned to see what it was when the guy running ran right into him. Law blinked, surprised as he suddenly had an armful of a guy. The guy blinked, looking confused and laughed as he looked up at Law with a bright smile on his face “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t see you there! I like your hat though!”  The guy then laughed and ran towards the group near the car, laughing the whole way as one of the Whitebeards berated the guy for not watching where he was going. Law blinked, not sure how to process what happened – but the oddest thing was the straw hat, you don’t see people wearing those very often in September.

Bepo tugged on Law’s arm, pulling him out of his daze “C’mon, let’s go find our way around before everyone else does so we don’t get lost. And go see the doctor! Cora made me promise that I would bring you!”

Law snorted “And what do you get if you do?”

“Double scoop of ice-cream tonight!” declared Bepo happily “Also! I want you to meet Shashi and Penguin before class starts!”

Law chuckled “I already met them, remember? We talked over skype and stuff.” Due to Cora being in recovery for a heart transplant, the entire house basically has to be sterilized until he was fully healed so nobody could come over. Law had been extremely meticulous about it, which probably drove Cora insane, but Law wasn’t having any of it. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Cora if he could prevent it.

Bepo let out an annoyed huff “That’s not REALLY meeting them, Law! Like, it is, but it isn’t, we can hang out now! Hopefully we’re all in the same homeroom, what’s your homeroom anyways?”

Law put his bag down and quickly pulled out a file. He opened it up and pulled out his schedule “Homeroom D.” Bepo let out a happy noise, fist pumping the air “Alright! We’re the same homeroom!”

Law sighed in relief. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Suddenly someone barreled into his back, sending him forward into Bepo’s arms, who quickly caught him. Law growled, whipping around – it was the same damn guy as before!

“Oops! Sorry guy, I didn’t mean to crash into you! I was roughhousing with Zoro and he sent me flying!” exclaimed the guy happily. Then he blinked, looking straight at Law. “Hey! I don’t know you! I thought I knew everyone around here!”

Law frowned “I’m new.”

The guy smiled even brighter (which Law thought couldn’t be possible) and stuck out his hand “Oh! Welcome to Grand Line High! I’m Luffy D. Monkey!”

Law looked at him shocked for a split second – this idiot was a D.?! Then his expression hardened “Law Trafalgar. Sorry, I don’t shake hands.” Luffy shrugged, still smiling and took his hand back “Oh, are you a germ-hater type, Torao?”

Law frowned “That’s not my name.”

Luffy laughed “Sure it is, Torao! You seem really cool, I bet we’re going to be awesome friends! You should come meet everyone! Whoah! Who’s that guy behind you?! Can we be friends too? C’mon! I’ll introduce you to everyone!” declared Luffy, grabbing Law’s arm and pulling him down the hallway towards a group of people, laughing brightly, Law barely able to keep up.

 

He takes it all back, this year is gonna be a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to note! Bepo’s black because polar bears have black skin! So I really wanted to keep that! And if you didn’t get the pizza comment it’s because Cora’s least fav food is pizza!


	3. –ACE- Time to Add Homoerotic Subtext (As Text!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I’ll be putting all the side ship warnings here! Also heads up, the order of the names mean nothing here.
> 
> In this chapter there is ;   
> AcexSabo (not actually, you’ll see)  
> FrankyxRobin  
> SaboxKoala

Marco’s car pulled up in the Grand Line High’s parking lot. Ace was always amazed that Marco was allowed to park, not only in the teacher’s parking lot, but also in the Vice Principal’s spot. Granted, Grand Line High hasn’t had a vice principal in years since the last one quit due to stress. (Ace might have played a hand in that)

As they were getting out of the car, Ace frowned, looking towards the main gate. “What’s going on over there?” Everyone got out of the car, looking towards the scene around a car by the main gate with a giant man yelling and waving at a boy trying to escape his utter embarrassing scene with a larger boy besides him laughing

“Oh man, poor kid, that’s brutal” expressed Ace, wincing at the scene

“Well, that makes things easier.” started Marco, pointing towards the scene “That tall man yelling is Rosinante Trafalgar, the boy looking utterly embarrassed is Law Trafalgar.”

Ace blinked, and then he smiled. Even though the act was super embarrassing, Ace would tell that it was done out of love and not malice. Even though awful circumstances brought the two of them together, Ace could tell from where he was that Rosinante probably genuinely loved Law and vice versa.

“Man, what a way to start the school year” remarked Izo, then he closed his eyes “Well, at least we know who are they are, so?” Izo’s eyes snapped open. His makeup always made his every movement extremely dramatic “Are we keeping an eye on them, or what?”

Marco shrugged slightly “I think we’re going to wind up seeing Trafalgar around the school enough that we won’t really need to – Rosinante on the other hand, if Ace insist on being shamefully forward with the police Captain, I guess he can keep an eye on Rosinante too.”

Ace snarled, whipping his head back towards Marco “Fuck you, bird brain!”

Marco didn’t seem very distraught by the comment “Am I wrong?”

Ace grinded his teeth together. He fucking hated when anyone made assumptions about him “Only because I want to get to know him too. He sounds like one hell of a person.”

Before Marco could respond, everyone turned towards Luffy running towards them. Thatch’s eyes widen, then he turned to Ace “Uh – isn’t going to run right into-“

But before he even had the chance to say anything, Luffy ran right into Law’s arms as he was turning around making Ace groan. The two exchanged words quickly before Luffy went back to running towards them, big smile on his face

Ace didn’t understand why it put him on edge to see Luffy in Law’s arms

“LUFFY YOU IDIOT! WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING! YOU RAN RIGHT INTO THAT KID!” screamed Ace, on edge for whatever reason – _probably due to the lack of sleep_.

Luffy laughed brightly, not at all bothered by Ace yelling “Aww it’s okay! He seemed nice! I really liked his hat!”

“His hat? Really?” said Izo calmly, but his face betrayed him, he clearly thought the thing was hideous

“Yeah! It’s so cool! He looks really cool, I never saw him before!” exclaimed Luffy, looking back at Law who was being dragged into the school by the other boy he had been with

“Did you get here okay?” asked Ace, looking over at Luffy, making sure he was all in one piece.

“Yeah! Chopper and Nami got on the bus a little after Usopp and me! Sanji as well! So we all rode to school together!” explained Luffy, looking around the parking lot, clearly searching for something

“And Zoro?” asked Ace, surprised to have heard nothing about Luffy’s best friend

“Well Zoro –“started Luffy before he was cut off by Ace

“IS THAT A FREAKING HEARSE?!” cried out Ace, pointing towards the white vintage ford Lincoln funeral hearse pulling up into the parking lot.

Marco snickered, looking down as he laughed into his hand. Clearly he knew it was coming.

Soon enough Perona Dracule stepped out of the passenger seat of the hearse and her closest friend Kumashi stepped out of the driver’s seat. Of course she was making the poor guy drive her to school. It was bad enough she wouldn’t let the guy _talk_ in her presence   


“Of course it’s Perona, why are we surprised in any way? Who the hell else would come to school in a hearse?” commented Izo, rolling his eyes. Perona Dracule was the daughter of Mihawk Dracule, one of the most powerful CEO’s in the world. It would make sense that she could have any car she wanted. Luffy made a disgruntled noise

“Heeyy! Where’s Zoro?! Zoro’s dad said Perona could only get a car if she drove Zoro to school every morning!”

The Whitebeards looked at Luffy and then back at the car. Then they noticed that Perona and Kumashi opened the back and pulled out a casket. Perona kicked the casket a few times, yelling at it and suddenly it opened, Zoro Roronoa coming out of it, yawning before he started to yell at Perona.

Everyone looked at the scene shocked except for Luffy who cried in joy and started running towards his friend

“How did he not…you know, suffocate?” asked Ace, still shocked

“How do you not suffocate in your food when you pass out in it?” pointed out Marco with a smirk on his face

“Oh shut up.”

 

Ace stretched slightly as he walked in the hallways towards his locker. The seniors where on the third floor of the school with the juniors, the sophomores were on the 2nd floor and Luffy and his friends will be on the main floor with the rest of the Freshmen. Ace smiles, exhaling softly as the conversations around him became muffled. He was in a good mood. Luffy was finally a freshmen! As Luffy got older, Ace wasn’t sure if he should be more worried or less worried about him. Clearly though, he had a really good group of friends, so that gave him relief. When Ace left, Luffy would still be in capable hands.

 

“So, are you going to tell me what the hell that text was about or do I have to beat it out of you?”

Ace was startled out of his thoughts as he felt someone drape himself on his back, an arm hanging off his shoulder. Instantly he was pissed off, but then the voice rang through.

“SABO?!”

Sabo laughed, standing straight, taking a step back as Ace whipped around, looking at his brother shocked. “What? What are you doing here?! Why aren’t you at St Snob Academy for Snobs in Snobs Training?!”

Sabo laughed even hard, hugging his brother tight, Ace instantly hugged back. “Is that what you call the Academy? I finally convinced my parents to let me transfer here two days ago! I wanted to keep it a surprise!”

Ace was completely overwhelmed right now.

Sabo was his best and dearest friend. He loved him more than anything and they both loved Luffy with all their hearts. Sabo was the only one who truly understood how important Luffy was to him. Ace and Sabo met when they were 5. Sabo had run away from home, him being from an aristocratic family from High Town. But Sabo couldn’t deal with the rigid life of High Town and had ran away to live in Gray Terminal where they had met. Sabo had tried to mug Ace and it had led to an all-out brawl. Afterwards, they decided to be friends and became inseparable. When Luffy joined them later on, he and Sabo practically took on the role of parents for Luffy, and forever swore as a trio that they would forever be brothers – until _the incident_.

_The incident_ that had nearly killed Sabo.  Ace and Luffy though were told that Sabo was dead, but the reality of it was that Sabo had lost his memories due to the blast and Sabo’s family, once they reclaimed him at the hospital, refused to let Sabo anywhere near his friends. The proof of the incident is now forever burned on Sabo. He had a large burn mark over his left eye, leaving his partially blind in that eye. Truth be told, Sabo’s parents forced him to wear a coloured contact so that people wouldn’t know the eye was damaged. Appearances were _extremely_ important to Sabo’s parents.  Sabo also had many burn marks going down his entire left side which disgusted his parents – Ace personally thought they were really cool and they made Sabo even more handsome then he already was.

“I can’t believe they let you come here!” exclaimed Ace, pulling back but gripping Sabo’s arms. Sabo got his memories back when he saw Ace in a magazine early last year and went looking for him and Luffy, with great success. But once Sabo’s parents got wind that he had reunited with them, they did everything they could to stop Sabo from going anywhere near them – with mild success. Sabo was very crafty and ingenious, he was also technically a terrorist, but that was details.

“Well, I got an early acceptance in the engineering program of Goa University, so they shut up pretty quick when I threaten to run away from home again. Even though they have Stelly as their _prodigé_ , it would be _humiliating_ if their eldest son ran away from home _again_.” explained Sabo, mocking his parents. Ace laughed, he loved when Sabo did this.

“But enough about me! Tell me about your text! Who’s this guy? Do I know him? Do you have a picture?” exclaimed Sabo, overly excited. Ace laughed, putting his arm around Sabo’s shoulders, pulling him in. Then he turned towards Marco, Izo and Thatch who were putting their things away in their lockers “Sorry guys, gotta go have some brotherly bonding!” They laughed, waving him off as Sabo and Ace went down the hallway, towards and empty classroom.

 

Ace looked around and quickly pulled out his lock-pick set and quickly unlocked the classroom’s door, opening it and offering Sabo entrance. Sabo acted all touched and quickly skipped into the room, Ace following suit and closing the door behind him.

“Sooo?” started Sabo, turning around to sit down on the desk in front of the room

“Well” started Ace in return, moving forward between Sabo’s legs, putting his arms on either side of Sabo’s hips “Gonna be real honest with you, he’s the new chief of police.”

“Ace, are y-!” barked Sabo, but was caught off by Ace “I know what you’re thinking, but he’s not like that, I swear! He drove me home last night and he asked about Gray Terminal, and you know what he said after I explained it? He went on about how because it was the slums, nobody made a real effort to help the people or fix it, and that it was the same goddamn story as usual.”

Sabo blinked, and then he smiled “Ooooh, he sounds like he’s not a total government stooge.” remarked Sabo, seeming pleased “What’s his name, maybe Dragon knows a few things about him”

Ace smiled. Dragon was actually Luffy’s dad, but since he’s head of an organisation that wants to overthrow and rebuild the world’s organisations, Luffy’s grandfather Garp wanted Luffy to have nothing to do with his father and took Luffy away from him. Hell, Garp even told Luffy _that he didn’t have parents so that he shouldn’t ask about them_. Sabo on the other hand got saved by Dragon after _the incident_ and is alive today because Dragon has administered first aid right away and brought Sabo to the hospital. Sabo’s been secretly part of the Revolutionary Army since then. 

“Oh maybe! His name is Chase Smoker! Tell me if you find out anything! Anyways, he’s like, a dream. He’s tall and built huge and he has a really nice laugh when you get him to laugh, but usually he’s kinda gruff, but he’s also super nice and his honor system is incredible, like, he insisted on driving me home, not because I did something wrong, but because he wanted to make sure I got home safe – and this was past his shift time! I brought him a cup of Makino’s coffee this morning and he really liked it! He was just, really great.”

Sabo blinked, in awe at Ace’s rambling, and then he lifted a brow, smirking “Ace…how old is he?”

Ace blinked back “31, why?”

Sabo snorted “What’s with us and older people, man?”

Ace laughed, Sabo’s own girlfriend was older than he was. Koala was in college for social work. Sabo’s parents don’t approve of her at all and often pretend that she doesn’t exist. And this was simply because they thought she was a _commoner_. Ace doesn’t know what they’d do if they found out that she’s actually part of the same organization as Sabo, hence how they met. Or worst, if they knew her personal history.

“I don’t know man, maybe we just like people who are certain of themselves, responsible, put together people” offered Ace, which made Sabo laugh

“Oh god, it’s because we need an adult in our lives!” replied Sabo, causing Ace to start laughing really hard, Sabo joining in.

 

“My, you boys seem to be having a lively time”

Sabo and Ace turned their head quickly towards the woman at the door. Ace stared at her, trying to place her somehow but he didn’t recognize her. Sabo gasped, surprised “Robin?”

The woman chuckled, closing the door behind her. She was holding a stack of folders and a messenger bag hung to her side – _shit, she was probably the teacher of this class_!

“Hello Sabo. My, my, breaking into my classroom on the first day, that’s a good start” stated the woman, putting her things down on the desk. She didn’t seem angry though, just, amused. “Also, am I supposed to keep this scene a secret from Koala or is she aware of these…” Robin waved her hand, gesturing to Ace and Sabo’s positioning “ _arrangements_?”

Sabo laughed, pushing Ace forward gently so that he could jump off the desk “Naw naw, Ace and I just mess around like this. So, you’re a new teacher here?” asked Sabo, turning to face Robin. Ace cleared his throat, lifting a brow and frowning at Sabo

“OH! Sorry! Robin, this is Ace D. Portgas, my brother I told you about! Ace, this is Robin Nico, she’s going to be our new History teacher. She actually has a degree in archeology!” explained Sabo, smiling

Ace lifted his brow even more and tipped his head towards Sabo, inviting him to continue   


“Also she’s um, an associate, I guess to the Army?” added Sabo, looking back at Robin, not sure if his answer was correct. Robin chuckled softly “More or less, I needed their help in the past.”

Ace blinked, surprised as this information. When someone needed help from the Revolutionary Army, it was usually because they were victims of human trafficking, slavery, falsely imprisoned, victims of injustices in general or on the run from the World Government. He wondered which one she was but knew it wasn’t the time or place to pry.

But one thing was for sure, there was no denying how beautiful she was. Robin had this grace to her that was absolutely mesmerizing. 

“Is Franky here too? I’m excited to finally meet him!” asked Sabo, having not noticed how distracted Ace was with Robin.

Robin nodded, smiling softly “Of course he is. It would be too dangerous to leave him at home. He’d rebuild the entire thing – _again_. He’ll be teaching welding and shop class.”

“Oh, I have those.” answered Ace, absentmindedly

Sabo and Robin looked at Ace. Robin laughed softly “A fair warning, my husband is extraordinarily talented in what he does, he’s just very _eccentric_. Also please don’t mind his appearance, he was involved in a massive accident in his youth and due to the reconstructive surgery, it left him looking a little odd.”

Ace smiled brightly, now he was intrigued “Duly noted!”

“Now you boys better go back to where you’re supposed to be and no more breaking into classrooms, understood?”

“Understood!” they both said at the same time as they walked out of the class, waving to Robin who gracefully waved back.

 

“Want to go see Luffy?” offered Ace, making his way towards the stairs. Sabo laughed “Of course I do!”

They both booked it down the stairs, doing their best to avoid colliding in the other students coming up and down until they reached the main floor.

“I see his hat!” exclaimed Sabo as Ace snickered. The freshmen in general stayed clear of the seniors, so many of them where openly moving away and making wide circles around the two.

Ace smirked “I see him too, but he doesn’t see us. You grab the left?”

“You grab the right” responded Sabo with a giant smirk on his face as they both charged towards Luffy

 

“And this is AHHAAHH!” cried out Luffy surprised as both his brothers came from behind him and grabbed his arms, scooping him up in the air, lifting him as high as possible “NOO, put me dow- SABO?!” replied Luffy surprised. Ace gave Luffy a lift in the air, surprising Sabo and threw Luffy in Sabo’s arms, who easily caught him. Luffy wrapped his legs around Sabo’s shoulders and hugged Sabo’s head

“SAAABOOO!!! What are you doing here?! Saboo!!!” cried Luffy, hugging Sabo tight

“I go here now!” replied Sabo as Ace went behind Luffy, and pulled him off Sabo

Ace laughed and looked at Luffy’s group of friends. He then caught Sanji’s gaze for a moment, who looked surprised, then he blushed and looked away. Right. Ace needed to talk to him.

Luffy grinned brightly and turned towards his group of friends “Everyone! This is Sabo! Sabo, this is everyone!” exclaimed Luffy, unable to hide his bright smile.

Sabo laughed and greeted the group “Hello everyone!”

“Hello Sabo!” they all replied, but before they could say anything more, the bell went off, signaling they had to go to their homeroom

“Oh, we gotta go, c’mon” stated Ace, grabbing Sabo’s arm and pulling him towards the stairs as Sabo gave one last hug to Luffy. Ace smiled, it was nice to have everyone together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back to Law next week!


	4. –LAW- Enter the Villain (Where Did He Even Get That Suit?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter – sorry about that! I swear the next Law one is kinda long! Basically I write until I hit the plot point I need to and then switch pov! So what I'll do is later this week I'll post Ace's next chapter! That way, you guys will get more content!

Law could barely keep up with how fast Luffy was dragging him away to meet his friends. The other boy was babbling on excessively about how he was going to love it here at their school and how great his friends were but honestly it was filling Law with dread.

 

How the hell do people possibly expect him to return to how things were before he lost his first home? His mandatory therapist keeps telling him that he has to accept what happened and move on – because now he was safe _. How could she possibly know that_? 

 

Law wasn’t supposed to see his 14th birthday, much less his 15th. Yet here he was. How was he expected to just carry on as if nothing has ever happened, as if he didn’t see his entire family get killed, his little sister burnt alive in his family’s hospital? Law closed his eyes for a moment. This wasn’t the time to think about this. Concentrate on right now.

 

“So here’s everyone! Everyone! This is my new friend Torao!” brightly exclaimed Luffy, showing Law this eccentric group of people

 

“That’s not my name!” snapped Law, then he looked at the group again, this was intimidating as hell.

 

“Hello!” said a girl in the front, she looked very sweet, and her light blue hair a startling contrasts to her dark skin. She gave a very regal air “My name is Vivi Nefertari.” Then she stuck her hand out to shake Laws

 

“Oh Torao doesn’t shake hands! He’s a germy dude” replied Luffy. Law frowned at him

 

“My name is Law Trafalgar, not Torao! And this behind me is -” Law blinked, where did Bepo go?

 

The other girl sighed, looking defeated “There’s no point, Law. Once he decides on a nickname for someone, they’re stuck with it.” Then she paused, looking at him “You said Trafalgar, right? Would you happen to be related to a really tall blonde police officer?”

 

Law blinked, surprised. Who was this crafty redhead and how did she know about Cora? “…Yeah, he’s my…uh, dad? How do you know him?”

 

“My mom is Officer Clementine!” said the girl with a big smile on her face.

 

Law couldn’t help smiling a bit at that. Officer Bellemere Clementine was a really cool, badass cop that used to be in there same agency as Cora. She was very sweet and helpful to them when they first got to town and she kept herself available to them any time – now that Law thought about it, she did tell them that she had two daughters around his age.

 

“Oh, does your sister go here too?” The girl nodded “Yeah, Nojiko’s a senior though. By the way, I’m Nami.”

 

Then a blonde hair guy with possibly the weirdest eyebrow in the world, handed to the girls what looked like gourmet muffins “Here you go, miss Nami, miss Vivi~!”

 

Nami and Vivi smiled, taking the treats “This is Sanji Blackleg.” introduced Vivi. Sanji looked up at Law, cocked his one visible eyebrow and nodded. Law simply nodded back

 

“I’m the great Usopp!” declared a guy, throwing himself directly in front of Law. Law scowled, why was he in his space? The guy’s bravado instantly disappeared and he jumped back a little.

 

“Hi! I’m Chopper Tony!” stated a young voice, Law blinked and looked down and saw a tiny boy with floppy brown hair and a big smile. Law’s surprised he missed him with his pink top hat.

 

“You look young.” stated Law, lifting a brow. Shit! He said that out-loud! Chopper nodded and smiled brightly “Yeah! I was bumped up because I was too advanced! I’m actually only 13!” explained Chopper

 

His cuteness was too deadly decided Law, who merely nodded at the explanation. Luffy then laughed and pointed to a nearby guy with spiky green hair that was leaning against a locker, arms crossed, listening to the conversation “And this is – “

 

But before Luffy could finish his sentence, two senior boys came barrelling down the hallway and grabbed Luffy, pulling him up in the air and throwing him around “NOO, put me dow – SABO?!”

 

Next thing he knew, Luffy was hugging the blonde boy tightly, screaming in joy and Law saw this as the perfect moment to step back and walk away.

 

 

 

Law turned the corner and saw Bepo snickering, waiting for him “You abandoned me!” cried Law, pissed. Bepo flinched and bowed his head “I’m sorry, I wanted to see how you’d deal with Luffy.”

 

Law blinked “You know him?”

 

Bepo nodded “We weren’t in the same classes in middle school, but Luffy’s kind of a legend. He’s hard to miss with his strawhat and he’s very – um Luffy.”

 

Law frowned, slightly pushing Bepo’s shoulder – Bepo didn’t move much though “You could have warned me!” Bepo chuckled

 

“I had no idea he’d get to you so fast!” 

 

“That was kinda mean Bepo! Putting him right in the path of hurricane Monkey so early in the morning.” said a voice behind Bepo as another one chuckled. Law looked around Bepo and saw Shashi and Penguin and he smiled.

 

“Hey guys” greeted Law, trying to hide the fact that he was a little nervous

 

“Hey Law! It’s nice to finally see you live and up-close!” said Penguin, with a huge grin on his face. Shashi nodded in agreement

 

“You guys too.” stated Law, but then Bepo tugged on his shirt “C’mon! Put your stuff in the locker fast, we gotta go see the doc before the bell rings!”

 

Law nodded, putting his stuff away, grabbing only what he needed “See you guys later?” Shashi and Penguin nodded “Yeah! We’re not in the same homeroom, but we might be in other classes, we’ll see!”

 

 

Law quickly dropped off his medication with Dr. Kureha, and was honestly a little surprised at her appearance but then ran to get to class in time. Once he was in the class, he saw on the board was drawn up an elaborate seating chart. Shit, apparently he had to find himself  


“Aww.” Bepo whined “We’re not even remotely close to each other. I’m like, way in the front and you’re in the back.”

 

Law looked at Bepo “You found me?” Bepo nodded, pointing to a square “You’re the last row, second last on the right.”

 

Law nodded, turning around to head to his seat, but then he froze.

 

Oh no.

 

Right beside his seat, besides the wall, Luffy was already sitting in his seat, laughing away as he playfully pushed on this tall guy with spiky green hair’s back with his head, as he was sitting right in front of him. Besides him was Sanji, who looked depressed, lying flat on his desk. Law followed Sanji’s gaze and saw that Vivi and Nami were seated near the front, by Bepo.  Usopp as sitting in the seat on the other side of Law, and in front of Law was Chopper.

 

Oh shit, he wasn’t going to last the year was he?

 

Law quietly made his way to his desk, distracting Luffy from his task. “Torao! Where did you go? I wanted to introduce you to my brothers!” exclaimed Luffy happily

 

Law looked at Luffy surprised – those two seniors were his brothers? Thinking back, it kinda made sense. Both where about the same height, the blonde one looked like he was more built like Luffy, but the blonde hair and blue eyes and white skin didn’t really make sense. Luffy had a darker colouring and his hair was black as his eyes. Frankly Luffy resembled the other brother more – except the other brother had a much blockier built and frankly, he had very sharp facial features. Odd. It intrigued his scientific mind though.

 

“Sorry, I had to go see the doctor before class started” explained Law

 

“Oh! You went to go see my grandma!” exclaimed Chopper, turning around with a big smile

 

This kid was seriously lethal

 

“She’s your grandma?” asked Law. Chopper nodded

 

“Yeah! I live with her since my parents died! I’m gonna be a doctor just like her!” Law smiled, and then he chuckled a bit

 

“Same here, I’m going into medicine myself” Law thought he’d be blind after how brightly Chopper smiled

 

“Oooh that’s so cool! Let’s do our best!” exclaimed Chopper, but before Law could say anything, Luffy was pulling on the sleeve of his hoody  


“Torao! Torao! I never got to introduce you to my best friend! This is Zoro Roronoa!” Law then followed where Luffy was point and was surprised – the stoic guy?! Seriously?!

 

Zoro gaze shifted to lock eyes with Law. Zoro nodded and Law nodded back. Ookay.

 

“There’s no real point of introducing the moss head, Luffy, not like he’s good for anything” quipped Sanji, smirking, his legs crossed on top of his desk. Apparently he wasn’t depressed anymore?

 

If ever there was a face of someone who knew he was starting shit – it was Sanji’s right now

 

Anger instantly flared up in Zoro’s face as he tensed up, glaring at Sanji “At least I’m not a stupid ero-cook who becomes utterly useless whenever there’s women around!”

 

Sanji let out a cry, pissed off and kicked Zoro’s desk “If anyone’s useless it’s you! Sleeping your goddamn life away, your own sister put you in a freaking coffin!”

 

Usopp sighed “There they go again.”

 

Law lifted a brow, turning towards Usopp who jumped “They always do this? Do they hate each other or something?”

 

Luffy laughed and shook his head “Naw, they’re really good friends.” Then he smiled softly at them

 

Law blinked, surprised as the fight carried on. But suddenly someone entered the room “Good morning, class, I am Miss Monet Floche. Please just call me Miss Monet. I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. I am also one of this school’s chemistry and biology teachers. But today we won’t be having a homeroom because we have a formal assembly to introduce the new teachers and such like myself. So I’m going to do a quick attendance and I’ll ask you all to file out, one by one towards the gymnasium, understood?”

 

Law furrowed his brow – something was off about this woman. For a woman who appeared so friendly – there was something very cold about her. Miss Monet started to take attendance but when she got to Law, she locked eyes with him and smirked. Law frowned, responding to his name but the whole situation made him uneasy.

 

Everyone quickly made their way to the gymnasium, taking a seat where they could. Luffy quickly found his brothers and waved at them before going to go sit with his friends. Law and Bepo sat down with Shashi and Penguin. Law looked back to where Luffy’s brothers were sitting.

 

He was right; he did see one of them in the parking lot this morning.

 

It seems that Luffy’s brother or brothers were part of the Whitebeard gang. Law frowned. Was Luffy too? Was he trying to recruit? That would explain a lot actually.

 

Soon the assembly started with the secretary announcing that they’ve had a sudden change in principals. Everyone let out a sound a shock, but when Law looked back, Marco seemed the most shocked of all.

 

If Marco didn’t know something…

 

Soon came forward a tall, very muscular man with a square face and a severely stern look on his face. He wore a dark red suit with a flower pinned to his lapel.

 

“My name is Sakazuki Akainu. I will be Grand Line High School’s new principal. I expect you all to follow the rules and conduct yourselves in a way that will make this institution proud. I will be cracking down on all illegal activities or misdemeanors in this school and will expect you all to strictly follow procedures and excel in your studies. I will not accept disappointment.”

 

 Law could feel the tension in the air. He quickly gazed around the room and could sense the fear and hostility from the students. And now looking again, everyone seemed more or less separated in many groups – where these all gangs in the making? Or actually concrete ones? One thing’s for sure, this principal is going to be a real game changer.

 

Also that Law instantly hated him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not using Sanji’s canon last name is a /very on purpose thing/! And finally! We’re getting somewhere main plot wise! Also I want to point out that everyone is very much on purpose picked for their roles in this story!


	5. –ACE- I Just Want To Be a Real Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THIS CHAPTER EARLIER! RL got WAY in the way this week and I wasn't able to get on - I hope you enjoy this chapter and what I'm gonna do is that I'll post the next chapter on Wednesday! So two chapters is one week! FOR REAL! AGAIN! I'm so sorry - but let's see Ace's side of this story!

Ace stretched his arms as he walked towards the gymnasium for the assembly, yawning. Sabo laughed, slapping him softly on the back

“Let me guess, you woke up super early again to prepare everything for Luffy.” teased Sabo with a knowing smile

“Yeah, got in super late too after the whole jail fiasco I told you about. I think I got maybe 3 hours tops of sleep last night. I could use one hell of a nap.” replied Ace, letting out a small yawn

“I also imagine you didn’t get much actual sleep either - with the new beau in mind” suggested Sabo, with a big grin on his face. Ace merely laughed in return

“Why are you so excited about this? M’not pissed or anything, genuinely curious”

“Because I can’t remember you ever being this – I don’t know this crush-y over someone? You know, aside from Makino. It’s really nice.” explained Sabo, smirking

Ace let out an exasperated sound “Uuurrggh, you’ll never let me forget that, will you?”

“Absolutely not! It’s the first time I ever saw you blush! It was always great to see that - you turn completely red! Ah- who would of thought that the Devil of Corvo District who have a full body blush” teased Sabo, grinning

“Ah shut up! Man, nobody’s called me that in years” pointed out Ace

“Really? Lost your moniker? It suited you well though.”  Ace smiled. Sabo was probably the only one who truly saw him at his absolute worst. It helped that they would mug and beat up local gangs when they were in grade school together. Ace as a kid had no mercy though. He would beat people nearly to death with a metal pipe if they crossed him.

“I’m a fan of his current moniker personally. People are still trying to figure out how the hell you set your hand on fire without seriously hurting yourself” pointed out Marco, cutting in, not even looking away from his phone.

 

Ace had to smirk. When he decided to start his own gang once he lost Sabo, Ace had worked hard to develop something that would make him stand out from the other people. Some gangs chose to look like circus people, others chose more aquatic themes, but Ace wanted to stand out due to strength.

So he chose fire.

It took a lot of work and research and lots and lots of tests, but Ace figured out a safe way to set his hand on fire when he fought. So that way, not only did he do physical damage, he also severely burned the person he was beating. It was an efficient way to make a name for himself – and it worked beautifully too. Soon enough ‘Fire First Ace’ was born. But the Spade gang was taken and were integrated with the Whitebeard gang. Truthfully it was for the best in the end – Pops being the best thing that has happened to Ace. But the moniker ‘Fire First Ace’ remained, and that was a bonus.

“Ah ah, trade secret. Gonna take that one to the grave with me” quipped Ace, please with himself

“Pfft, whatever. As long as you remain on our side. Hmm, we’re getting a few new teachers, but nothing too big. Most of them are young-ish.” stated Marco, still typing away on his phone.

“Ahh, Marco’s insane information connections strike again. You should join the army!” replied Sabo

“No thanks, I’m loyal to Pops.” stated Marco, still typing away

 

They walked into the gym and quickly went to go sit together. It was common if not expected for the gang members to sit together whenever they could. Ace quickly spotted the Kuja gang. The all-girl gang was incredibly powerful, mostly due to their overwhelming strength and wealth, but they had their own area and never really interacted with the Whitebeards – and for good reasons too. They hated men.  The Kuja gang was actually a really old gang. They used to all attend Lily Academy, an all-girl school, but it was shut down a few years back, forcing the members to attend Grand Line High. Their current leader was Hancock Boa. She just turned 18 and known to be the most beautiful girl in the city. Even Ace had to admit that she was really pretty.  But he and Hancock actually had a pretty good relationship – but she wanted to keep that a secret.

As Ace looked over to them, he wound up locking eyes with Hancock. She blinked and merely nodded, acknowledging him and then quickly looked away. Ace smiled. He’ll have to make arrangements with her later. Ace groaned softly in his seat, leaning his head back. Man did he have a lot of people to talk with today.

“You okay there?” asked Izo, laughing. Ace blinked, he hadn’t noticed that he had leaned back his head into Izo’s lap. Izo was sitting right behind him in the upper row of the bleachers

“Your lap is just, so nice, Izo” stated Ace, grinning. Thatch laughed

“Aww, I want a turn with my head in Izo’s lap!” Izo blushed at Thatch’s comment and started to laugh

“I’ll start taking reservations then!” teased Izo. Haruta leaned in, putting his arm out to block Izo’s lap

“Okay Ace, your trial of Izo’s lap is over! Now we start charging!” Everyone started to laugh. Marco chuckled, still glued to his phone

Sabo then nudged his side, pointing to Luffy who was waving at them and waved back with Sabo  


“Well, if we’re already making money off Ace, might as well start making money off Izo”

Ace blinked, then he glared at Marco “Make money off of me?! How?!”

Marco lifted a brow, looking at Ace unimpressed. “Um, your online store? Remember who runs that? Also, three of the magazines you’re in sold this morning alone”

Ace blushed, sinking back into his seat.  Last year, he was approached in the mall to join a modeling contest. The prize was 1000$ cash prize and Ace wasn’t dumb enough to turn that away. Worst off, he could have won gift cards for the mall and Luffy needed new clothes so he figured what the hell. Ace figured he was a good looking guy, so he’ll probably score the gift cards.

He wound up winning the contest.

It led to a small modeling gig. Ace wound up not signing on full-time, ( _modeling was a lot of work and Ace had other things to do_ ) but he did it long enough for his photos to wind up in a good amount of magazines and posters (the giant poster at the mall was kinda weird to see) but it was how Sabo found him again and he made a lot of money to put in Luffy’s bank account, so he was happy.

Soon after his first pictures went up, Ace started to gain a following online and to this day; he had a pretty big online presence between facebook, twitter, Instagram, tumblr, youtube and everything else. With a little encouragement from Marco, he opened up an online store to sell prints and stuff of himself. Personally Ace found it a little weird but he really liked being connected to thousands of people all around the world like that.

Ace was about to reply to Marco but the assembly started. 

 

The school secretary went up to the podium. Her blonde hair tied tightly back as she adjusted her glasses with her hand   
  
“Attention students.  Before we start this assembly and the new school year, we have a special announcement to make. Our beloved school principal had to step down due to personal reason and has been replaced. I now invite our new school principal to introduce himself.”

Ace could hear Marco dropping his phone. He could hear the collective shock go through the entire student body.   


“Did you forget to tell us this?! Getting a new principal is kinda really important” hissed Izo quietly at Marco. Marco shook his head, jaw slack in shock.

“No! I didn’t know! I had no idea of this!”

_When Marco didn’t know something, it was bad_.

Ace watched as a large, muscular man came forward. He was wearing a red wine suit with a flower on his lapel.  Ace could feel anxiety building up in his stomach, to his throat. He instantly hated this man. This man felt dangerous and Ace wanted to be anywhere but around him.

 

The man cleared his throat and began to talk.

“My name is Sakazuki Akainu. I will be Grand Line High School’s new principal. I expect you all to follow the rules and conduct yourselves in a way that will make this institution proud. I will be cracking down on all illegal activities or misdemeanors in this school and will expect you all to strictly follow procedures and excel in your studies. I will not accept disappointment.”

 

Marco began furiously typing on his phone. Ace knew that he was trying to remain calm, but he was panicking inside. Ace looked around at everyone and everyone seemed on edge, well _, minus Luffy_.  Ace quickly looked at Hancock who looked beyond furious. ‘ _She’s not going to handle him well at all’_ Hancock couldn’t handle authoritative men at all, when they tried with her, she usually got violent. In general, the mood felt extremely hostile. It made sense, their new principal basically just declared war on the gangs.

“Is he out of his mind?” asked Izo, eyes narrowing, remaining calm as he removed his fan from his sleeve and opened it to cover his face, looking to the side. Ace knew Izo long enough to know that he was being dismissive of the principal “He is but one man.”

Ace nodded, Izo made a good point. The man had to be mad. Most of the students at school were armed or were powerful fighters. Looking at his own group, Izo was the best shot in the whole region, Haruta excelled with blades, Thatch was a bare knuckle fighter with knives and Marco as well. Ace himself was very powerful and versatile fighter. Even Luffy’s group was composed of fighters _. This man had to be mad_!

 

The assembly soon wrapped up, but honestly nobody was really paying attention. The news of the new principal had shaken everyone up.

 

Ace quietly followed his friends out, trying to resist the urge to throw up. What was with this man? Why was he bothering him so much? He closed his eyes softly, trying to regain the feeling he felt around the Captain. Captain Smoker had made him feel so safe; he needed that feeling right now.

“Uhh, you okay Marco?” asked Haruta quietly as Marco furiously typed away at his phone.

“Yeah, just trying to get some things handled ASAP.” replied Marco, frowning at his phone

 

“Mister Phoenix, is it?”

 

They all stopped and turned to look at the source of the voice. It was principal Akainu. Ace frowned sharply, how did he know that name?!

“My name’s Marco.” stated Marco, trying to remain civil. Ace could tell he was furious.

“Yes well, I wanted to let you know, _mister Phoenix_ , that we will be towing away that monstrosity of yours in the parking lot. You are not the vice-principal so your car should not be there” stated Akainu, smirking

Marco merely smiled calmly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, sir. My car is in the student parking lot.”

Akainu frowned, the mood shifting out of his favour “It better be, mister Phoenix. And I better not see it in the vice-principal parking spot ever again.”

Akainu turned to leave, but then he stopped, locking eyes with Ace. He paused, smirked and turned, walking away.

Ace was going to throw up right now.

“How is your car not in its spot?” asked Thatch once Akainu was out of sight

Marco smirked “I messaged Vista ASAP when Akainu started talking; he was around so he went to move the car during the assembly.” Then Marco frowned sharply “He knows who I am though, which was made clear by how he kept calling me Phoenix. This man is dangerous.”

Ace chest felt tight. He had such awful vibes from the guy. Sabo put his hand on Ace’s shoulder, instantly relaxing him.

“I didn’t like the way he eyed you, Ace.” stated Sabo, frowning sharply. Sabo then took out his phone and typed away a quick text. He then put his phone away and looked at Ace. Ace felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He turned to Sabo and nodded curtly. He’ll check it later when he was alone. Sabo nodded back, understanding

“Well, we better get to class” stated Haruta with a sigh

Ace forced himself to laugh, putting his arms around Sabo and Haruta “Aww c’mon! First day of school! Let’s make this fun!”

Ace just wish the anxiety would go away.

 

Once he was seated in his seat, Robin Nico walked into class and smiled. “Welcome to World History. I know many of you are beyond excited about this class” this made the class chuckle “And some of you, not as much. But let’s get started, shall we? We have a lot to learn.”

Ace smiled softly, he thinks he’s going to like this class. He turned to look at Sabo who was really attentive, clearly someone else was too. Seeing Sabo reminded him that he had a text to read. Ace quickly whipped out his cellphone, reading the message – then his stomach dropped

 

_Sabo:_

_What if he knows who you /really/ are? Be careful, Ace._

 

Ace quickly put his phone away and tried to distract himself by paying attention to the lecture – but his mind was whirling.

 

_He was so close to escaping the nightmare_.

 

Ace was 17 years old and he would turn 18 on January 1rst. When he turned 18, he would go to city hall and legally have his name changed and be formally adopted by Pops. Even though he managed to fool the school administration, he couldn’t fool the government.  His name wasn’t actually Ace D. Portgas. It was what he wanted it to be though.

 

His legal name was actually Ace D. Gol.

 And if word got out, he would be arrested and executed.

 

Very few people actually knew the truth.  Sabo knew, Luffy knew, Dadan knew, Marco knew, Pops knew and Gramps knew _. But nobody else – and Ace wanted to keep it that way_.

20 years ago, the world of gangs was controlled by one man. Roger D. Gol.  Nobody was more powerful than him and nobody could cross him and expect to walk out fine.  They called him the King of the Underworld because of it.  He was the ultimate Don.

He was also Ace’s father.

But 20 years ago, he fell in love with a woman living on a southern island.  He then married her and she got pregnant. 20 years ago, Roger was captured by the World Government and executed and his entire family was declared outlaws. The World Government tried desperately to find Roger’s pregnant wife to execute her and his unborn child. His mother forced herself through natural medicinal means to delay the pregnancy so that she wouldn’t be suspected

His mother stayed pregnant with him for 20 months

It killed her.

She was only able to give birth, hold Ace for a moment and name him, and then she was gone

If the World Government knew who Ace really was – they would execute him too.

His mother gave her life for him to live – so he was going to live

But until his name was changed, he couldn’t get health insurance, he couldn’t get legal ID, he couldn’t get a driver’s license, he couldn’t get a social security number – nothing. So his work options were extremely limited; all the jobs he worked, he was paid up-front.  He couldn’t even get a bank account! He had to ask Marco to open up a bank account for him so that he could deposit the money he did make, which meant he also had to ask Marco for his own cash, which was annoying.

But all this would be behind him when he turned 18.

At 18, he will finally be able to move into the Whitebeard house, his Gramps forbidding him right now. At 18, he could finally get his life on the road, he just needed to have his birthday and he just needed it all to be legal. And take the name of the woman who gave him life.

Fuck his father’s name, fuck his existence. Life has been a fucking nightmare his entire life because of the burden of being the son of the world’s most hated man – he would be free of it soon, and live his life as Ace D. Portgas. And he would finally be free.

Ace dug in his pocket and pulled out the old wrinkled photo of his mother. It was a tiny picture, a quick shot taken of her once at a bar, but she was beautiful. And he treasured it. Ace carefully put it on the corner of his desk, instantly calming down. Worked like a charm every time.

Ace blinked, suddenly a note was on his desk, he quickly flipped it open and smiled

 

_Sorry for upsetting you_

 

Ace turned to look at Sabo who was looking back at him sheepishly. Ace smiled back and waved his hand, letting him know it was okay. He turned slightly to look at Marco who was still discreetly typing away on his phone, trying to do damage control as he wrote notes with the other hand. Marco wasn’t human deduced Ace.

The bell soon rung and Ace gathered up his things, but before he had a chance to grab the photo of his mom, Sabo beat him to it.

“You know, you look so much like her, it’s ridiculous.” stated Sabo, smiling. Ace grinned brightly. He liked hearing that – he’d kill himself if he looked like his dad.

Marco blinked, turning around, then frowned when he saw the picture “You took out the pic of your mom? You okay?” 

Ace nodded, taking the photo back from Sabo and putting it in his pocket “Yeah, just a bit riled up from the assembly.” admitted Ace, a little sheepishly

Marco nodded, frowning “You should be. I got my info on the guy and it’s really bad. I’ll tell everyone about it tonight. Let’s go to gym, Izo’s gonna kill us if we don’t help him undo his hair.”

Sabo sighed dramatically “While you guys go off gym-ing, I’m off to my advanced calculous class.”

Ace stuck out his tongue “Whatever smarty pants! Have fun being smart!”

Sabo laughed, patting Ace on the back “Oh I will!”

Ace walked out of the class laughing and instantly locked eyes with Akainu who was in the hallway.

This was going to be a shitty year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd we finally reached the heart of Ace's goal for this fic!


	6. –LAW- No Se Permite Que Ríe En La Clase De Español!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! A few notes for this chapter! 
> 
> If a character is talking between « these » it means they are speaking in another language!
> 
> And this actually one of my fav chapters so far! I wound up doing A LOT of research for it too! I waited months for a certain book to come in to the library so that I can find exactly what I needed for this chapter!

The tension in the room completely changed after Akainu’s words.

Law shifted in his seat awkwardly, looking around the room _. People were pissed_.

The man had basically declared war on all the gangs. It was a dangerous move. Granted, he probably believed that these teenagers couldn’t possibly be dangerous – but if he was _that_ naïve, that means he’s probably going to wind up dead.

‘ _Doflamingo would have had his body hanging from a telephone pole by sunrise’_ mused Law. Generally though, the gangs he could recognize around the school were not known particularly for their violent crimes. They _could_ be violent – but usually it was to discreetly dispose of a problem.  Not like the Donquixote gang. They killed to make a point – there was nothing discreet about it.

Law slunk down on the bench even more. That was another reason this readjusting to ‘normal’ life was a sham. Law had blood on his hands and a lot of it. Granted, he didn’t violently kill like the older people in the gang had – but he had done his share.  He had been excused of all of it, the authorities claiming that he had been coerced into it against his will. He hadn’t contradicted them because he didn’t want to go to juvie. Cora hadn’t said anything either. But they both knew the truth.

Law exhaled.

Truthfully though, since he had run away with Cora, he hadn’t even tried to hurt anyone. Maybe he had been coerced. He had been angry at the world. A world that had seen himself and his loved ones as disposable. But Cora had changed that. Cora took that anger out of him with his love and care – but that was the case for him. He knew it wasn’t the case for the people around him.

 

The assembly soon ended and they all returned to their classes.  Law sat down and instantly heard Luffy talking away “So what do you guys think of the new teachers and stuff?”

“That History teacher was absolutely beautiful!” exclaimed Sanji with a big smile on his face, thrilled “Our homeroom teacher is also a beauty! So many beautiful women surrounding us!”

Zoro rolled his eyes, not even trying to hide it “I don’t like that new principal at all. Something about him is off.”

Sanji stopped gushing and his expression grew serious “You felt that too?”

Zoro nodded “Yeah. He’s going to cause a lot of problems. I saw him talking to Marco outside in the hallway; it takes a real fool or a real arrogant asshole to directly confront Marco like that.”

Luffy laughed “Aww I’m sure Marco’s fine!” then his expression grew serious “Ace didn’t look so good though, he probably got the same vibe as you guys.”

Usopp blinked, turning to Luffy “How about you? You’re generally a good judge of people”

Luffy shook his head “I don’t like him either. He seems like he’s making trouble just to make trouble.”

“How about you, Law?” asked Zoro, eyes locked on Law “How did you feel about the new principal?”

Law paused, frowning. He wasn’t expecting to be asked his opinion “Don’t care for him at all.”

Zoro nodded “He basically declared war on all the gangs. So either he’s a giant idiot – or he’s really dangerous.”

Law’s eyes widen slightly. He hadn’t considered that possibility. It was one of the few (very few) disadvantages of not being in the Donquixote gang anymore. Doflamingo had a tendency to know exactly who everyone was and what they did. Something told Law that the principal hadn’t always been a principal.

 

Class soon started and went by quietly. Miss Monet taught Biology, which was already a really strong subject for Law. Law looked at his schedule real quick. ‘ _Next class was Advanced Spanish’_ noted Law quickly. Granted, he didn’t _need_ to take Spanish _. The Donquixote gang operated pretty exclusively in Spanish_.  But he figured it would be an easy bird class considering all of his other classes were advanced classes this semester.  Also Law had gotten used to reading in Spanish with his time spent with the gang and he didn’t want to lose the capacity. Personally he would have preferred to take Italian, because he really didn’t want to lose his native tongue either, but the school didn’t offer it.

The bell rang and Law packed up his things and headed off to his next class. As he made his way towards the classroom, he heard the now familiar sounds of sandals slapping against the ground loudly and turned around – was Luffy following him?

“Torao! Wait!” cried out Luffy, chasing after him. Law stopped, waiting for the other to catch up ‘ _Did I drop anything?_ ’ wondered Law as he quickly looked at his stuff

Luffy smiled brightly, catching up to him “I’m in Spanish too! I figured we can sit together!”

Law blinked, surprised “You’re in Advanced Spanish?”

Luffy laughed “Yeah! Ace insisted I learned a second language, and since I’m already fluent in Portuguese, we figured that Spanish would be easy enough to pick up”

“Ah.” answered Law, walking into the class and taking a seat near the back, Luffy sat in the seat beside him. “Does your brother make all of your decisions? What about your parents?”

“I don’t have any parents!” replied Luffy happily “I have people I live with, but Ace is the closest thing I have to a parent. Sabo too!”

 _Law felt like such an asshole_.

“Hey, I’m really sorry, I-“started Law, but Luffy raised his hand to stop him

“It’s okay! I never met my parents anyways! Gramps says I don’t even have any to begin with, but I’m super lucky, Ace and Sabo are the best and I have awesome friends” explained Luffy happily

Law stared at him always shocked. He wasn’t expecting this from the boy. Law figured that Luffy was this kid with a great happy life, with awesome parents who supported him and raised him right, that never knew starvation, never knew what it was like to lose everyone, and just lived a great secluded life. But now he really wasn’t so sure – but how can he stay so upbeat?

 

_How could Cora stay so upbeat after everything?_

Law didn’t really know Cora’s history. Cora never divulged and Law never asked. But Law knew it had to be bad. The first time he saw Cora without his shirt on was _terrifying_. The man was literally covered in scars, cuts and burns and all sorts of things, things he couldn’t even explain. And considering Doflamingo’s habit of brutally murdering anyone who hurt Cora – there was no way this all happened while he was undercover with the gang _. Meaning it probably happened to him when he was a kid_. Something really bad must have happened to royally fuck up Doflamingo, so it would make sense that both brothers had gotten affected by it.

But Cora had turned that event into a desire to help people, with compassion. While Doflamingo wanted to hurt people and destroy everything.

“Torao? You okay? You look out of it” Luffy’s voice snapped Law out of his thoughts. He shook his head, turning towards Luffy

“Sorry, got distracted with my thoughts” explained Law, as he watched the teacher walked into the class and begin writing on the board

Luffy chuckled “It’s okay! My friends do that too all the time!”

 

«Alright class, please pay attention! I am your teacher, Miss Viola, and I’ll be teaching you Advanced Spanish. For the first few weeks, I will be more forgiving to all those who do not speak in Spanish but after a while, I will be less and less sympathetic. We will start this class by introducing ourselves in Spanish and then we will get right into our reading. »

Law straightened up when he heard the Spanish, time to start this class.

 

After everyone quickly introduced themselves (Law was genuinely surprised at how well Luffy introduced himself) Miss Viola started handing out the book they would be reading for the semester. Law lifted a brow when he received his brick of a copy. Apparently they were reading _The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes_. Great. Apparently he couldn’t escape his past even in high school.

Luffy cackled “Isn’t this the windmill guy? Ace told me about this story.”

Law sighed; he had to ask “He took Spanish too?”

Luffy shook his head “Nope! He took French, actually. Don’t know why though.”

Law regretted asking.

«Alright» started Miss Viola, opening up the book «I will ask everyone to take turns reading. Yes, this book is in Spanish, so if anyone has any trouble with a word, please raise your hand and let me be aware. You will stop reading when I tell you to. You may begin” stated Miss Viola, gesturing to the first student on the left.

Law read along with the student reciting, enjoying the Spanish he was hearing. Some of the students struggled, the summer months making them rusty, others he could tell often spoke Spanish in general. Personally it just lulled his mind so he started to zone out.

It’s odd that even though when he thinks about the 3 years he spent with the Donquixote gang with nothing but spite – it did have nice quiet moments as well. There was this odd sense of security within the gang. Even if Doflamingo was a horrible monster – he did take care of his own as family. Law was always fed, he always had a warm bed, and he always had new clothes and everything he could have asked for. And if anyone hurt Law, Doflamingo would deal with them swiftly. Hell, Buffalo had asked for the PS4 when it first came out and Doflamingo had gotten it for him a month before its release. The man was extremely generous when it came to his own – but extraordinarily cruel to anyone who crossed him.

«…having composed, struck out, rejected, added to, unmade, and remade a multitude of names out of his memory and fancy, he decided upon calling him Rocinante…»

Law’s head snapped up surprised at the name he just heard _. Who’s named Rosinante_? Honestly he had never heard of someone else with the same name as Cora! What kind of character was it?

_Oh my god, it was the fucking horse._

Law snorted, trying to swallow down his laughter. He couldn’t burst out laughing now! He was in the middle of class!

«Mister…Trafalgar! Is something funny?! » asked Miss Viola, looking at her seating chart and then back at Law, looking annoyed.

«Ah- forgive me, I, I just thought ‘what an awful name for a horse’! » explained Law, trying to get himself out of it

Miss Viola raised a brow, and then she smiled «Glad to see that someone spotted that»

Law covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide how incredibly embarrassed he was.

But now he was in trouble.

Every single time the name came up; Law couldn’t help but snort and snicker. Originally Miss Viola let it go, but Law could see her losing patience with him.

«Trafalgar. It’s your turn now, if you can pay attention long enough without laughing. » stated Miss Viola coldly

Law nodded, turning to his book and started to read

« And so saying, he charged with levelled lance against the one who had spoken, with such fury and fierceness that, if luck had not contrived that Rocinante should stumble midway and come down, it would have gone hard with the rash trader. Down went Rocinante, and over went his master, rolling along the ground for some distance; »

And Law lost it

A loud howling laugh burst out of Law’s mouth as he completely lost it. He dropped the book on the table and tears started falling out of his eyes

It was bad enough that the damn horse had the same name as Cora – but he couldn’t handle it being clumsy too!

Law really wanted to stop laughing, but he couldn’t stop himself now – he was too far gone. Soon enough, he heard someone else burst into laughter with him.

Miss Viola was furious “OUT! OUT! BOTH OF YOU OUT! You will spend the rest of the period sitting in the hallway and you both have a half hour of detention tonight! I will not be disrespected in my classroom!”

Law nodded, still laughing as he gathered his books and went to go sit in the hallway. Cora was going to kill him – but he couldn’t help himself!

Once outside of the classroom, he sunk to the floor, his laughter finally dying down; he wiped the tears out of his eyes and grinned. He was going to get in so much shit for this, but honestly, it was just too damn funny.

Law paused – didn’t Miss Viola say ‘both of you out’?! Law turned his head to the side and was shocked to find Luffy, sitting there besides him, also wiping the tears out of his eyes

“How come you’re here too?”

Luffy chuckled, a wide grin on his face “Your laugh was too contagious, when you lost it, I couldn’t help myself!”

Law looked at Luffy surprised. Now he felt bad “Oh, sorry about that”

Luffy shook his head, still grinning “No, no, it’s okay! You have a really nice laugh, it was hard not to laugh along!” admitted Luffy, rocking in place

Law blushed hard. He wasn’t expecting that at all “A-Ah.”

“What was so funny anyways?” asked Luffy curiously, his full attention on Law

“Ah, um, my…my dad, his name is Rosinante” explained Law, feeling he owed Luffy that much for getting into trouble.

Luffy looked at him stunned for a moment and burst into giggles “Hee hee! No wonder you were laughing!”

Law smiled softly; maybe this kid wasn’t so bad at all.

“SILENCE YOU TWO! I DID NOT SEND YOU IN THE HALLWAY FOR YOU TO CHITCHAT! YOU KEEP AT IT AND YOU’LL OWE ME TWO DAYS OF AFTERSCHOOL DETENTION! NOW START READING!” barked Miss Viola at them at the door

Law nodded, kinda really scared as he took out his copy and started to read, hearing the door slam as Miss Viola went back in.

 

Soon enough the bell rang, signaling that the period was over. Law stood up, gathering his things and got ready to head to lunch. Luffy waved as they parted ways, running towards the lunchroom. Law sighed. It was time for him to go grab his medication. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take his meds – he knew that he had to. But it was more that Dr.Kureha was kinda… _intense_.

Law made his way to the school doctor’s office and slowly opened the door. He looked inside and saw that Dr.Kureha was talking to another student. He started to close the door, not wanting to disturb them but he was soon stopped

“Not so fast, mister Trafalgar! I was awaiting you! You’re not getting away from taking your medication, mister!” declared Dr.Kureha, pointing at Law

Law sheepishly went back into the office, closing the door behind him “Sorry, I didn’t want to bother you if you’re with another student.”

Dr.Kureha laughed, shoving the other student’s arm, Law now recognizing him as one of Luffy’s brothers. “That’s how you’re supposed to act, Portgas! Not that garbage you keep doing!”

“What?” drawled out Ace, slowly purring “Are you implying that you don’t like my elaborate seduction? I figure if we have to see each other five times a week, I might as well get a little something special out of it”

Dr.Kureha rolled her eyes, looking completely done with Ace “It’s only the first day of school and I want to slug you”

Ace smirked “Maybe I like it rough?”

Dr.Kureha laughed, going over the cabinet and opening a few bottles of prescription pills and taking a few out of all of them and handing it over to Ace “Just shut up and take your meds”

Ace sighed, grabbing the glass of water on the cabinet and accepting the pills from Dr.Kureha “Lot of good these do, I still fall asleep everywhere like a jackass.” grumbled Ace as he swallowed the pills

“Well maybe if you cut back on the coffee” remarked Dr.Kureha, putting the bottles back inside the cabinet and pulling out Law’s

“Hello no! If I could get a personal coffee IV, I would!” replied Ace, heading towards the door. Dr.Kureha rolled her eyes, handing Law his medication

“Don’t be stupid like him, Trafalgar. Be good and take your meds.” Law lifted a brow, accepting the medication and the glass of water

Ace laughed, and then he paused, looking right at Law as he took his meds. Then he bowed his head “Oh! You’re the kid Luffy ran into this morning! Sorry about my little brother, he can be rather rambunctious. I gave him a good tongue lashing though for crashing into you, he should know better!”

Law was surprised at the apology.  He wasn’t expecting this – but on the other hand, this would make a lot of sense “…would you happen to be…Ace?”

Ace grinned, laughing softly “I am! Surprised you heard of me already!”

Law nodded, heading towards the door, he was getting hungry “Yeah, Luffy mentioned you a few times this morning.”

“Ahh? Guess you guys have class together, actually, pretty sure Marco mentioned you two shared a homeroom.” stated Ace, walking towards the cafeteria with Law

Law frowned sharply “Guess you know about me.”

“Just the basic really, if anything, it sounds like you went through some heavy shit. Don’t worry though; we have no intention of going after you or your guardian. It’s just good to know about it in case _he_ comes to finish the job. ” explained Ace, his expression getting severe

Law nodded. He appreciated that Ace didn’t say Doflamingo’s name out loud in the middle of the school hallways and it was also good to know that The Whitebeards weren’t after him or anything. “I have a question though.”

Ace smiled “Yeah? Go for it”

“Is Luffy a Whitebeard too? Or is it just you and your other brother?”

Ace paused and then he laughed “Oh no! I’m the only Whitebeard in my family, actually! Luffy’s just a teenager, which is how I want to keep him. Sabo isn’t in a gang. He’s part of an organization, but he’s not in a gang.”

“Wait – he’s just that stupidly friendly?! He wasn’t trying to recruit me?” blurted out Law, shocked

Ace smiled “Yeah, he’s just that stupid friendly! He’d be a menace if he was recruiting though!”

Law smiled softly, maybe he suspected too much of Luffy

Ace then paused, before entering the cafeteria “A word of warning though”

“Huh?”

“If Luffy likes you? You’re not getting rid of him. He won’t care about your past, anything you’ve done, who you’ve been, nothing. If he likes you – he likes you. ” stated Ace with a grin, before walking into the cafeteria.

Law stood there stunned, unable to process Ace’s last words as he watched Ace go straight to the biggest table in the cafeteria, sitting down besides Marco and start devouring the lunch that was handed to him as everyone around him laughed.

 

“Law? What are you doing just standing there?”

Law snapped out of his trance and turned to look at Bepo, who was looking at him concerned. Law shook his head “Sorry, I was just, trying to make sense out of something. So where are we eating?”

Bepo chuckled, leading Law to the table where Penguin and Sashi were already sitting.

“How come you were talking with Ace?” asked Bepo as they sat down

“We both had to grab our medication at the doctor’s office, so, yeah” explained Law, taking out his lunch

“Ace had meds to grab? What kind of meds?” asked Penguin as he leaned in curious, with Sashi

Law shrugged “I’m not sure – but he mentioned something about falling asleep everywhere –“

 

Suddenly a loud clanking noise broke through the room. Every conversation stopped and everyone turned around towards the sound of the noise. Law could clearly see Ace face-down in his plate, his arm stiff, still holding onto the fork. Izo stood up, banging a spoon against a metal lid.

  
“ALRIGHT EVERYONE, PAY ATTENTION! IT’S TIME TO PLACE YOUR BETS!”

Law watched as all the seniors, juniors, and sophomores started taking out their money hurriedly towards the table.

“IT’S TIME TO PLAY ‘IS IT NARCOLEPSY OR SLEEP DEPRIVATION!’ QUICK! WE’RE ONLY TAKING BETS FOR TWO MINUTES!”

Law stared in shock as mobs of people ran to Marco, desperate to get their bets in as Izo help up an hourglass. When the sand emptied out, Izo whipped out his hand to the side, signaling that it was over.

“Alright, that’s it, bets are closed” stated Marco, sitting back and started to count the money. Haruta and Thatch then got up and walked over to Ace’s seat. Thatch lifted Ace’s head out of his plate, showing everyone that there was no reaction from the other and then carefully put his head back down. The two of them then started to shake Ace’s chair violently. When they stopped, Thatch re-lifted Ace’s head – showing once more, the lack of reactions

“It’s a narcoleptic fit everyone, those who bet on it, come collect” stated Marco loudly. Law could hear the collective groans around the cafeteria as people realized their bet was wrong. Law stared in shock – how was this even allowed?! Law quickly scanned the room, looking for Luffy – did he know? Would he be mad? Law was surprised to see Luffy laughing – and hard. Apparently he found this whole thing absolutely hilarious. Well that was a relief.

Sashi laughed “Guess that answers the question of ‘what does Ace have’” Penguin snorted

“It’s weird they’re allowed to take bets like that. I thought gambling was against the school rules”

Bepo made a sound of agreement as he tore away at his chicken sandwich. Law found it funny that Cora made Bepo meals with bread considering that neither Law nor Cora ate bread. Then again, Cora openly spoiled them both rotten, so he wasn’t too surprised.

“Oh, before I forget, Bepo, I have to stay after school for a half hour.” remarked Law, as he continued eating.

Bepo looked at him stunned “You joined a club?! Seriously?”

Law shook his head “Nope, detention.”

“Cora’s gonna _kill_ you!” cried Bepo

“That’s why _you’re_ going to tell him.”

“Noooo!!!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luffy speaks Portuguese because Oda said that if they had actual nationalities, Luffy would be from Brazil! So I wanted to reflect that by making him already fluent in Portuguese! 
> 
> Also Narcoleptics shouldn’t be drinking coffee! Bad Ace!
> 
> Next chapter we’ll have a brand new POV!


	7. –CORAZON- All Buddy Cop Movies Start Like This, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TA-DA! It’s Cora’s turn! I hope you guys enjoy everyone’s fav gentle giant!

Cora yawned, driving towards the police station. He was exhausted. The stress of getting everyone ready for school this morning and the overwhelming stress of making sure Law was actually okay had drained him. Cora huffed. He needed to be at his best! This was his first day at work since his mission ended! He had spent a year recovering, his wounds have closed up, and he was now all healed! It was time for him to get back into a routine.

Cora groaned _what routine_? He’s never had a routine.  He went from royalty to poverty, to orphan, to a ward of the world government to undercover cop.  Granted, he had done his time to earn his rank of Commander. He rather enjoyed being an agent for the world government. He got to help people and stop as much disaster and evil-doing as he could. It was his way of giving back to all of those who had helped him. When he was given the mission to infiltrate the Donquixote gang and take down his brother – he knew he had to do it. Blood be damned, Doffy needed to be stopped. Honestly – he felt a little responsible for it. Maybe if he had stayed with Doffy? Maybe if he had stopped him from meeting Trebol, who took him under his wing at Doffy’s worst? Maybe if he had stopped Doffy from killing their father?

Cora shook his head. He could wonder all day, but what was done was done. Or so had said the therapist. The therapist was a nice woman, Cora couldn’t deny that – be he felt she a bit mal-equipped for what he went through or worst, what Law went through. Cora found himself sugar coating a lot when he spoke with her – he didn’t want her to know what he actually went through. How a whole town had strapped them outside a window and shot arrows at them for fun. How he was beaten and bloodied for stealing a loaf of bread when they were starving. It was just – _too much_. Cora figured he might as well just keep all of that to himself. No need to upset someone else over his past. He was happy now.

He loved Law and Bepo with all of his heart.  Hell, Cora loved everyone in life that helped him. He loved Sengoku who adopted him as his own when he found Cora wondering around crying as a child – regardless of who Cora actually was. He loved Bellemere who took him under her wing when he joined the World Government forces, thrilled that she was now working at the same police station as he was. But his boys were his everything. And all he wanted was for Bepo and Law to have as normal lives as possible.

Well, until Doffy found them.

Cora didn’t doubt for a moment that Doffy already knew where they were. And that they were alive as well. Not only did he manage to infiltrate a spy into the World Government forces ( _fuck you, Vergo_ ) , Cora wouldn’t be surprised if every police database was watched. Shit _, Cora himself remember being privy to that datebase when he was in the gang_. Being the second in command had some perks!

Cora groaned again. Honestly he didn’t like looking back too much on that time. Because even if his brother was pure evil in a human form – he couldn’t deny that he did still love him. And Cora knew that deep down; his brother had loved him too. Shit, not even deep down, he had loved him openly – until he confirmed that Cora had been betraying him from the start. Before Doffy’s face flew into rage, Cora didn’t miss the hurt expression on his face. Bottom line – Doffy was sure he had killed him, hence why he left him there for dead. The second Doffy found out – he probably started to plan when he would finish the job. But Doffy wasn’t a stupid man. He carefully crafted every single operation. Cora knew that Doffy would eventually find him and eventually attempt to kill him again. Hopefully if he does succeed that Law would remain safe.  If Doffy does kill Cora, he won’t kill Law. He’ll try to get him back. Doffy was enchanted with Law the moment he had met him. Cora to this day still wondered how the hell a kid that small could have gotten so many grenades.  Doffy would come snatch up Law – and Law would be the next Corazon, that much Cora knew.

Cora grunted as he drove into the police station parking lot. He should probably stop thinking of himself as Cora. He had been Rosinante for so much longer than he was Corazon but it meant so much to him that Law called him Cora that he just couldn’t let the name go. But he did like that his legal name now was Rosinante Trafalgar – he was honoured that Law accepted him joining his family.

Cora got out of the car and stretched himself out. Being tall was such a pain in the ass when everything in the world was so small compared to him. Even the uniform he was given was too damn small. Bellemere had told him that they specially ordered him one – but it wasn’t in yet, so he had to with the one he got. Thankfully he was just doing a desk job. They would send him out for patrols once in a while – but generally he was to stay at the station. Sengoku had been very clear when they transferred Cora to a local police force that Cora wouldn’t be allowed to be isolated more than he should. Everyone was aware that Doffy would come after him. The city was specially picked because it was mostly Whitebeard and Redhair territory – both who hated and refused to work with the Donquixotes.  Also the Kuja gang who hated men – so of course would have nothing to do with Doffy. Basically the city of Goa was the kingdom of All-Those-Who-Hate-Doffy.  Not only that, they transferred the former Chief of Police of Loguetown Captain Chase Smoker at the same time.

Honestly, Captain Smoker kinda scared the shit out of him. Even when he was in the gang, he looked up the Captain who was stopping all the gang activity in Loguetown – only to really find _nothing_. Cora remembered hearing about him while he was in the World Government marines. He was legendary for telling whoever he wanted off and only obeying orders if he believed in them, never betraying his own moral compass.  Honestly Cora had nothing but respect for him on that extent – but it did cost him his military career in the end.  He had been given an order that he refused to carry out. They told him that he had to resign if he didn’t do it – so he did.

The Captain then went on to become a cop. Quickly rose through the ranks and became Chief of Police in no time. He was efficient and had no trouble taking down gangs. Cora personally always found that extremely suspicious – _how did a civilian know so much about the inner-workings of gangs_? But whenever he looked around – minimal information was ever found about him. His grandfather had been a cop, but he had died before the Captain was ever born. It didn’t seem that his father was in the picture, his mother died when he was 14 of illness and he had an aunt in Loguetown that owned a flower shop. When and where he enlisted and his time in the military academy was all noted but nothing else really. It put Cora on edge to be working with someone he knew so little about.

Cora quietly ducked into the police station and went straight to Bellemere’s desk. He was actually a little early for his shift, but he wanted to get a feel for the place first. Bellemere was typing away when she looked up from her screen when a large shadow loomed over her

“Rosi! You’re here!” she got up and hugged Cora. Cora couldn’t help but smile as he hugged her back

“Yeah! I finally get to work at the station, thank god too, I was getting really bored at home” teased Cora, chuckling

Before Bellemere could even respond, a package in plastic was pushed against Cora’s stomach. Cora blinked, looking down shocked – _it was the Captain_!

“Right on time, your uniform showed up, Trafalgar. So get changed and meet me in my office when you’re done. I have things to go over with you.” stated the Captain, putting a cigar in his mouth

“Y-Yes sir” replied Cora, feeling like an idiot for being so intimidated – _he was a half a foot taller than the man_!

“Going for a smoke?” asked Bellemere to the Captain, but then she smirked “Heard about your little present this morning- how nice of you to impress Ace so much.”

Smoker turned bright red and scowled at Bellemere “Don’t bring that up! That brat is a nuisance!”

Bellemere laughed, sticking a cigarette in her mouth and stood up “Aww, c’mon! Ace is a good kid; real responsible too, he’s practically raising his little brother alone. It’s actually kinda cute that he likes you so much, he’s not one to warm up to people fast. C’mon, I’ll go smoke with you.” Then Bellemere turned to Cora “Get changed and meet us outside, we’ll do the more casual intro out there. Don’t worry about the Captain, he’s just a big, grumpy bear, but he’s got a warm heart.”

“The hell are you saying about me now, woman?!” barked Smoker, flustered. Cora could hear someone else trying to stop themselves from laughing. ‘ _That must be the other cop that started with me’_

Bellemere just laughed, pushing the Captain outside who lit his cigar before he even reached the door. Cora smiled; maybe it wouldn’t be too bad working here. He quickly got changed and took out his pack of cigarettes – the doctor told him to cut back, so he was sure just one or two would be okay! He stepped outside and saw that Bellemere was still teasing the Captain, laughing away as he looked more and more embarrassed.

“Just stop talking about him!” barked Smoker

“No way! I couldn’t believe my ears when Tashigi told me that he brought you coffee from Makino’s! You know where that place is? It’s in Windmill district! He ran all the way over there to bring you coffee! Did you sleep with him or something?” teased Bellemere, smirking

Smoker chocked on his cigar “WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN?! He’s a child! What do you take me for?!”

“A man with a pulse. Ace is one good looking son of a bitch. And last I heard, he isn’t dating anyone.” continued Bellemere, humming

“If you’re into children, by all means, you can have him” replied Smoker, taking a puff of his cigar

“Mmm, nope. Ace is exclusively into men. Both my daughters confirmed this.”  Cora chuckled a bit, walking up to them

“Ahh, here’s my handsome boy!” cooed Bellemere as Cora walked over

“Do you feel the need to adopt everyone?” asked Smoker, smirking

“A little bit. But Rosi’s particularly cute, look at that face!” Cora turned bright red, lighting his cigarette “Also I’ve known him since he was a kid, he’s the kid Sengoku adopted.”

Smoker lifted a brow “My sympathies. Does he still have that goat of his?”

Cora laughed “Yeah, he does!”

“So intro time” started Bellemere “Chase, this is Rosinante, Rosi, this is Chase!” Both men looked at each other and shook hands. Smoker took his cigar out of his mouth and exhaled. The silence was killing Cora’s nerves

“Heard what happened to you, Trafalgar. I have to say I’m impressed with your survival skills, shot 7 times in the heart and still lived to tell about it?”

Cora blinked, surprised to have it brought up. He laughed nervously “Well, my heart didn’t make it, gotta make sure to take care of this new one”

“Listen” started Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar “I don’t give a shit that you’re a Donquixote. Blood means jack. I judge people by who they are and so far, I heard nothing good about you. Especially when I heard you bailed on your mission to save a dying kid who you adopted after. I have respect for you, so don’t be so damn nervous around me.”

Cora’s jaw dropped. ‘ _How did the Captain know I was afraid of people judging me by my family name?_ ’ Cora smiled brightly “I’m really glad to hear it, thank you!”

“See? Warm hearted grumpy bear! Absolutely perfect for Ace” noted Bellemere, grinning – Smoker turned red and sputtered

“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THAT?!”

Cora only laughed

 

Soon enough, they had put out their smokes and walked back in. Tashigi was standing by the desk looking absolutely nervous. Before Cora had time to react, he heard Smoker growl

“ _What?_ ”

“Umm…the mayor…the mayor’s assistant called and um…” started Tashigi, completely flustered, looking at her hands nervously

“Out with it!” barked Smoker again, clearly getting frustrated with the whole situation

“The mayor’s hosting a big dinner tonight at 7pm at The Baratie to celebrate the new additions to the Goa city forces and we have to go!” blurted out Tashigi, as fast as she could

 

“No way in hell am I going!” replied Smoker, clearly ticked off “That loon thinks he can just make this big ass dinner out of nowhere and we’ll just drop everything to go?!”

Bellemere cooed “Now now, _Chase_. You _have_ to go. It’s a party for you!”

“ _They_ can go” said Smoker, gesturing to Tashigi and Cora “I’m going to stay here and do my damn job.”

“Naw, I’ll take over for you, you go off and do your social mingling. You work way too much, _Chase_!” stated Bellemere, grinning “C’mon! The Baratie is a great restaurant!”

“Urgh, I hate the ass-kissing smoozing crap” muttered Smoker, giving up

“Aww, but it’s your job as Chief of Police!” ribbed Bellemere, putting her arm around his shoulder and giving it a squeeze

“Wait – did you say tonight? I can’t go tonight, I promised Bepo and Law that we’d go out for sushi to celebrate the first day of school” stated Cora, panicked

“I can call the Mayor if you want? To see if we can squeeze in two more people?” offered Tashigi smiling

Cora smiled “You think he’d allow it?”

Tashigi smiled, sure of herself and nodded and offered her hand “I’ll do my best! Also I’m Tashigi Shigure! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rosinante!”

Cora gasped, shaking her hand “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself sooner!”

Tashigi smiled “Don’t worry! What matters is that we did eventually! Now I’ll give the mayor a call, hopefully we’ll get good news!” Then she turned and went back to her desk

“Well, if I don’t go, one of his sons can have my spot.” added Smoker, Bellemere just laughed

“Stop trying to get out of this, you grump! You’re going, and you’re going to like it!”

“Good news!  The mayor’s assistant said it was okay since they had already had planned extra seats for our significant others and well, since none of us have any…” trailed off Tashigi, looking a little deflated

“The Captain can just bring Ace” offered Bellemere, grinning

“ _I hate you_.” stated Smoker, glaring at her. Tashigi just sighed

 “We just moved here, I don’t understand how the Mayor would think that we were already dating someone.”  Smoker just grunted

“It’s standard. People always just assume that everyone’s paired off and plan in consequence of it.” He explained “Now I’m going to have to go home early to grab my fucking suit, this mayor is a pain in my ass”

Bellemere laughed, watching Smoker sulk back to his office “Ahh. How about you, Rosi? You’ve been here for a good year now, met anyone interesting?”

Cora sighed. It was a question he got a lot. Granted, he was 28 years old, he felt he was okay looking enough and had a good job, owned a house, so on and so fourth – so he would understand why people thought he would be dating, but the truth was –

“I’m not interested in dating at all to be honest” replied Cora, smiling softly

“Huh? Why not? You’re a gorgeous young man and you’ve got so much going for you. If it’s about a kids, take it from me, it doesn’t stop anyone.” pointed out Bellemere, wiggling her eyebrows with a smirk. Cora shook his head

“It’s not about that. I’m just not interested” stated Cora, smiling “Besides, I already have two sons I love with all of my heart, I don’t need anything else.”

Bellemere sighed and smiled, putting her hand on Cora’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze “If you say so, but don’t turn away a chance just because of that, okay?”

Cora chuckled softly “I’ll be fine”

“You should probably tell your boys that they’ll need to dress nice for tonight” stated Bellemere “The Baratie is a really nice place.”

“Oh, like suits and stuff?” asked Cora, taking out his cell “I’ll send them a text. After I grab them at school, we can just go home and get changed. Well, I’ll send Bepo a text, more likely to get a reply that way”

“Law doesn’t answer?”

“Only when he feels like it. Bepo usually replies pretty fast” then Cora’s phone beeped “Oh! See!  Must be their lunch period…Huh? Law has to stay a half hour later? Did he join a club or something?”

“Law?! Like your son Law? The anti-social kid that lives in your house? Yeah freaking right.” quipped Bellemere. Cora looked at her offended

“Hey! You never know! Maybe there was like, a dissection club or something” then Cora’s phone beeped again

“DETENTION?!” screamed Cora, shocked “ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL?!”

Cora furiously typed on his phone, the message back to Bepo clear as day

 

_Cora ♡ :_

_I’M GOING TO KILL HIM._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I hope you enjoyed the new point of view! We’ll be swinging back to Ace next week, Cora will be in the rotation but his POV won’t be as common as Law’s and Ace’s – but it’s nice to shake things up once in a while! (also to have a POV that takes place at the police station!)


	8. –ACE-Maybe Making Out With My Little Brother’s Friend Was a Bad Idea? (Naw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More character introductions in this chapter!  
> Small note – a date will be set but it’s not shippy! 
> 
> Ships mentioned:  
> Franky x Robin  
> Past!Ace x Sanji (nothing serious)  
> Past!Marco x Ace (nothing serious)  
> annd a little something starting

 

“Fuck I hate it when I fall asleep during lunch” grumbled Ace, washing his face in the bathroom. Ace knew his narcolepsy didn’t bother his friends – but it sure bothered him! He sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Ace wasn’t surprised he got another attack – he was wearing himself thin and he knew it. Between taking care of Luffy, keeping up with school, working odd jobs at all times of the day, his obligations to the Whitebeard gang and his social life, he was just exhausted. But he had to keep pushing, just a little bit.

 

“Our leader wants to speak with you.”

Ace straightened up, turning around to look at Ran, who was standing by the door, her arms crossed.

“Now? Does she also want to come in or she wants me to meet her somewhere?” asked Ace, he knew better than to be snappy with the Kujas

“Yes now. And no, she’ll meet you behind the school. At the usual place.” replied Ran, turning around “Don’t follow me there.”

Ace nodded, watching her walk out. It was law within the Kujas to not interact with men as much as possible. So his meeting with Hancock had to be discreet.

Ace slipped out of the bathroom and quickly texted Marco where he was heading. He slipped out of the cafeteria and went right outside. Ace was about to turn the corner to where he knew Hancock was waiting for her but was stopped by another Kuja member

“Oh. It’s you. Come”

She then led him around the corner where Hancock Boa was leaning against the wall, talking to her sisters. Hancock had the reputation as the most beautiful women in town, and honestly? She deserved it. Ace particularly liked the look she was sporting today, that jeans, boots and leather jacket combo looked fantastic on her.

“Hey Hancock, you wanted to talk?”

Hancock looked up and waved to the other Kujas, to dismiss them

“Yes. Please let us be, girls. I want to talk to him privately.”

The girls hesitated for a moment but soon dissipated, but not before Ran got right in Ace’s face

“You do _anything_ to her and we’ll come get you!”

Ace nodded, acknowledging the threat as Ran left

 

“How can I help you, Hancock?”

Hancock sighed, looking frustrated “Homecoming.”

“Ah! Yeah, that’s coming up, isn’t it?” stated Ace, now knowing where Hancock was going with this

“Can you -?” started Hancock

“Of course. It’s my pleasure to be your date.” replied Ace with a smile. Hancock sighed in relief

“If we’re going to be voted homecoming king and queen _again_ , we might as well just go together.” stated Hancock, looking uncomfortable “At least I know I can trust you.”

Ace smiled softly, making sure to keep his distance from Hancock “Any particular colours you want me to wear?”

“I’ll text them to you when I decide on the dress.” Then Hancock paused “Thank you, for doing this for every dance. But if you have a date –“

Ace cut her off “I don’t. Really. Single gay man here. Besides, they make us dance together when we’re elected, but what if I don’t win?”

“ _You always win_.”

“Hey man, there’s new kids! Like my little brother Luffy’s super friendly and stuff!” explained Ace. Hancock shook her head

“I refuse to be touched or dance with any man I don’t know. So you better win.” She stated, no room for arguments

Ace nodded. Then he was quiet for a moment “Hancock…my brother’s girlfriend Koala went through the same thing as you, if you ever want to talk with her about it-“

“No. I don’t wish to talk about it _period_.” snapped Hancock, leaning her back forcefully against the wall. Message received.

Before Ace would reply, the bell rung, interrupting them both

“So about the new principal.”

Ace could see the fury in Hancock’s eyes

“I do not like him.”

“Marco said he’s going to give us the full report on him tonight –“

Hancock nodded at him. Message received

“I have to go to class, text me the details for the suit, okay?”

Ace then turned and jogged off to his next class.

 

Ace dashed into his next class before the second bell rung. Marco lifted a brow at him once Ace was seated “So why did she-?”

“Homecoming.” replied Ace, pulling out the books he needed – the Captain can call his bag ugly all he wants! It was super useful!

“Guess you’re her date again?” asked Marco, still not looking away from his phone

“Yeah I am… what are you even doing on your phone?” remarked Ace, crossing his arms on the desk and leaning into them “You’ve been glued to that thing all day.”

“Let’s see, communicating with merchants, communication with the other members, processing a shipment or ten, talking with Pops, and dealing with your orders. And that’s just to begin with. I’m also checking twitter for what’s trending.” replied Marco, not looking away

Ace chuckled, typical of Marco. “Is Pops in a good mood?”

“ _He was_ , until the whole principal thing. Pops _knows_ him.” stated Marco, frowning

Ace’s eyes widen “What?”

“Did I hear that right? He _knows_ him?” hissed Izo, turning around in his seat. Ace was always baffled at how they were always sitting near each other regardless of seating plans

Thatch frowned deeply “I’m starting to get worried this ass is serious about shutting down all the gangs.”

Haruto huffed “Whatever, we’ll take him down.”

“We have to be careful” stated Marco, but before he could say anything more, the teacher walked into class and started up “We’ll talk about this tonight at the meeting.”

 

Math soon ended and Ace gathered up his things to head to welding. In the hallway, Sabo grabbed his arm and both boys walked arm in arm to welding class

“Honestly I never met Robin’s husband, I wonder what he’s like” pondered Sabo out loud. Welding and shop class were tucked away at the far end of the building. Soon enough less and less students were around them

“Hmm, probably cool and mysterious like she is?” offered Ace, but Sabo didn’t seem too convinced

“Something tells me you’re wrong on this one” then Sabo opened the door and both he and Ace stopped dead in their tracks

_Was the teacher wearing a speedo?!_

“AH SUPER! Some more students showed up! Take a seat anywhere guys! We’re missing a few more dudes and we’ll get started with class one of 101 Welding!” exclaimed the teacher enthusiastically.

 Ace couldn’t believe his eyes – to begin with the guy was huge, he had a very large upper body though and not so much in the legs. He had a bright blue hair that was style garishly reminding Ace of a rooster with massive sideburns. He had a big gold chain around his neck and a Hawaiian shirt that was opened with of course – the aforementioned speedo. But like Robin mentioned, something about his face looked – really fake. You could easily tell he had tons of work done.

“Holy shit you’re awesome” stated Ace in awe, this was going to be his favourite class

“Thanks dude! You have a really super sense of style too!”

Sabo paused for a moment “Are you…You’re Robin’s husband, right?”

The teacher paused, lifting a brow “You must be Sabo then.” Then he broke out into a giant smile “Awesome! Nice to meet you, I’ll do the intro for the class when everyone shows up, okay? So take a seat!”

Ace and Sabo went to the metal tables and sat together at the same one. A few other students came into the class and then the teacher shut the door. He then grabbed his guitar and sat on the desk in front of the class, strumming the guitar

“Hello dudes and dudettes! My name’s Franky and welcome to welding 101! Before you ask, my face looks weird because I got hit by a train in my youth – don’t do that, kids! So basically I’m gonna teach you guys the basics of welding and after that, I want you guys to partner up and build something AWESOME for the rest of the semester – got it?” explained Franky “So partner up now and start planning what kind of thing you want to build!”

 

Ace and Sabo instantly grabbed each other’s sleeve, grinning broadly.

“We’re so building that fighting robot we planned as kids” stated Sabo

“Oh man, the fire breathing one shaped like a t-rex?! YES.”

“Whoah whoah whoah, you guys expect to build a super dangerous fire breathing t-rex robot?!” interrupted Franky, looking appalled

“…yes?” replied Ace weakly

Frankly smiled brightly “ _Oh hell yeah_! Let’s get this started! Like, we’re only going to build the body in class, but I’ve built robots before, so I can help out with the wiring and crap!”

Ace couldn’t help but gush – this is going to be awesome!

“We’re so going to need to sick that robot on Dadan.” stated Sabo, smirking

Ace couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

 

Welding soon ended and all the students left class. Class was finally over for the day, so now students got to decide if they went to club or went home. Ace wasn’t part of any club and neither was Sabo, but he needed to talk to the others to see what they had planned. Ace spotted Marco and the others and began to approach them until a voice caught his attention.

“Ace? You have a moment?”

Ace turned and spotted Sanji leaning against the locker, arms crossed, and his face beet red. _Ah yes. Right_.

“Oh hey, Sanji! Anything I can do for you?” offered Ace

“Do you need me to leave?” asked Sabo, looking between them. Damn Sabo and his ability to read a room

“N-No! No. Nothing like that, ah, Ace, would you like to make some money tonight? We suddenly got slammed with a big reservation for tonight at the restaurant and we could use a hand – The old man really liked you when you helped out last time.” explained Sanji

Ace blinked – that wasn’t what he expected – but hell, he’ll take it! Oh wait, meeting – ah

“Don’t worry.” cut in Marco “We’re going to head back to the house in about a half hour, we’ll have the meeting during supper and Sanji - you can have Ace around 6, is that okay? The reservation’s at 7, isn’t it?”

Sanji sputtered, shocked “How did you even kno- That’s fine.”

“Could you use another person?” asked Sabo, surprising Ace.

Sanji looked at Sabo surprised “Ah, actually yes, one or two people would help”

“Okay, I can ask my girlfriend if you want!” offered Sabo, smiling

Sanji paused “You have a girlfriend?”

“Yeah, she’s real cute, real responsible.” added Ace

“Does she go here?! Do I know her?!” asked Sanji excited, looking around. Ace had to laugh

“No no, Koala goes to college!” explained Sabo, typing away on his phone “Ah, she said yes! So we meet at the Baratie tonight?”

Sanji nodded, looking like he reached cloud 9 “Yes yes! I can’t wait to meet this wonderful Koala~! I bet she’s as cute as her name!”

Ace chuckled at Sabo’s confused expression – Sabo never saw Sanji’s overwhelming love of women before. Ace’s expression then grew serious

 

“Do you have a minute, Sanji? There’s something I want to talk to you ab-“

“Yeah. Let’s. Yeah.” replied Sanji, pointing down the hallway “Cooking class should be empty since the club doesn’t start until tomorrow and I have a key?”

Ace nodded, gripping Sabo’s shoulder “See you later! I’m super happy you go here now”

Sabo laughed, hugging Ace. Ace instantly melted into the hug. Sabo leaned in, whispering in Ace’s ear “I’m super happy too.  I’m going to Koala’s apartment, so we’ll meet you at the Baratie tonight. I’ll talk with you-know-who and see if I can get more info, okay?”

Ace smiled. Good old Sabo.

“Alright” started Ace, pulling back. Then he turned towards Marco “Gotta talk to Sanji for a second, meet you guys at the car in a bit?”

Marco smirked, nodding. Fuck, right _, he knew what happened_

 “Alright~”

Ace turned, nodding to Sanji who was bright red again, following him to the cooking club.

 

They got to the empty classroom and Sanji unlocked the door – quickly locking it behind him as Ace walked through.

“Look, Sanji, I just want to start off with I didn’t tell anybody and I have no intention of telling anybody.” stated Ace right away. Being in this classroom filled with burners and sinks and a giant fridge was reminding him at how hungry he was

“…Thank you. I…yeah. I’m not…I didn’t… Urgh.” replied Sanji, running his hand through his hair “Fuck I could use a smoke.”

Ace blinked, and then laughed “I knew it! I knew you smoked! I could taste the nicotine in your mouth that night!”

Sanji turned a deep shade of scarlet. “Y-You – ah-!”

Ace blinked. Oh shit. “Whoah, Sanji. It’s okay? All we did was make out, it’s okay.”

Sanji frowned sharply “It’s not okay!”

Ace frowned in return. He didn’t like how Sanji was making this sound. They were both drunk off their asses when they made out _but Ace had freaking asked before they started_.

“ _Hey_ , I don’t know what you remember, but I asked you if you wanted to and you said yes rather enthusiastically. If you regret it, that’s fine, but like I said, I’m not going to be telling anyone. And as far as I’m concerned – nobody knows about it but Marco.”

Sanji let out a cry of anger “YOU TOLD _MARCO_?!”

Ace waved his hand “No, no, he caught us – we were kinda in his room.”

Sanji sighed in relief “Oh good – he won’t?”

Ace shook his head “Naw. He thought it was pretty funny honestly.”

Sanji paused, smiling a bit but then he looked up at Ace confused

“Why did you take me to Marco’s room?”

 

It was now Ace’s turn to blush. The Whitebeards had a tendency of throwing wild parties rather regularly. And during those parties, Ace particularly enjoyed getting rather drunk. And Ace found out that when he gets drunk, he had a tendency to well, ah, want to make out with people.  At the last party of the summer, him and Sanji had gotten really drunk after Sanji had showed up too late and missed his friends. Ace didn’t want him to be alone, so he spent the evening with him. Ace actually really liked Sanji. The guy had a calm, smooth vibe about him (when he wasn’t losing his mind over women) that Ace really dug and also, Ace found him pretty cute. So of course, once he was drunk, he couldn’t help but ask Sanji if he wanted to make out – and Sanji enthusiastically said yes.

But usually when Ace was making out with someone at these parties – more often than not, he made out with Marco. So, he was used to going up to Marco’s room with Marco to make out. They never really went past kissing – which is exactly what happened with Sanji too. But he was so used to automatically going up to Marco’s room that it’s exactly where he went that time too. Marco at the end of the night had wanted to go to bed – and instead found Sanji and Ace making out on his bed. Marco laughed it off and got them both water and soon after Sanji was put in one of the guest rooms to sleep it off but Marco had no ill-will towards it because it wasn’t as if he and Ace had anything going on.

“Ah…well, because usually he’s who I make out with when I’m drunk.” admitted Ace, scratching his cheek.

Sanji smirked, raising a brow “You do this often?” Ace laughed

“It’s a nasty nasty habit I have, honestly. You just got involved in it this time”

Sanji paused, then he frowned a bit “Why me?”

Ace smiled “You’re really cute? I don’t know, I wanted to kiss you.” Offered Ace, then he frowned “But, if you feel I crossed a line, I’m really sorry. That wasn’t my intention at all.”

Sanji shook his head, turning bright red, looking away “No…No. It’s nothing like that; it’s more like…I’m surprised I said yes.”

_OH!_

Ace laughed, relieved “Oooh! Okay! Now I get what’s going on here.” He gripped Sanji’s shoulder, smiling “Don’t worry about that! It’s nothing, really.”

Sanji shook his head “No, it is! I-I’ve never, I didn’t think-“

_Ah._

“Hey. This doesn’t ruin your reputation as a lover of women, you know? Messing around with a guy once in a while doesn’t change what you like. It just means you like guys once in a while.”

Sanji frowned “But…I didn’t! Not before that night!”

Ace lifted a brow. That he wasn’t buying. “You sure about that?”

Sanji hissed “What are you implying?!”

Ace shrugged “I don’t know. I do know though that my first crush ever was on a girl and now I’m strictly into men.”

Sanji raised a brow “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Sexuality is fluid and stuff, I don’t know, I think that the idea that we’re strictly into one gender kinda restrictive? But I’m sorry for confusing you like this, I didn’t mean for that.” admitted Ace, feeling a little out of his comfort zone.  He might have set off some massive confusion for Sanji and that wasn’t his intention at all

Sanji sighed, shaking his head “It’s…not your fault. Guess I’m just angry at how much I liked it.”

Ace chuckled “Maybe it’s just that you liked kissing! Kissing’s fun!”

Ace blinked, Sanji was a bright red. He sighed, yeah, he definitely started something.

“You know” started Ace, trying to smile as encouragingly as possible “There’s nothing wrong in being bi. Like, Luffy won’t care, he sure as hell didn’t when I came out to him.”

Sanji shook his head “it’s not about Luffy, it’s about –“

 

Suddenly the door slammed open, and in came Zoro

“Oye! We’re tired of waiting! Let’s go!”

Sanji’s mood instantly turned. He looked pissed _. Wait no - Actually, he looked embarrassed_!

_OH!_

Ace smirked, putting his hands up “Sorry sorry, it’s my fault! I took up Sanji’s time, you guys go have fun”

Sanji mood cooled, and he turned to Ace “If…If I want to talk about this more –“

Ace smiled brightly “Any time!”

“Talk about what?” asked Zoro, frowning

“How much you’re an impatient nosy bastard!” replied Sanji

Ace laughed “Alright alright, I’ll let you guys go, I have to go meet up with my gang anyways!”

Ace quietly slipped out of the room, not even sure if they heard him or not – it didn’t matter. It was all clear to Ace now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TADA! A little bit more Strawhat action in this chapter! Next week we’re going back to Cora!


	9. –CORAZON- I’m Not Usually Into Book Burning, But –

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SORRY!! I went home sick from work on Monday and left the damn USB key with the fic in my work locker and I was sick on Tuesday too – so I couldn’t get the key until today! 
> 
> I’d like to thank my little sister with helping me out with this chapter and used her Criminology and her job with the cops to check over what I wrote to make sure it’s legit!
> 
> EDIT: THANK YOU SELLEN23 FOR POINTING OUT THAT 'EDWARD' IS WHITEBEARD'S FAMILY NAME!

 

 

 

Cora spent the rest of his shift fuming.

 

How could Law possibly get detention?! Did he start a fight?! Threaten someone?! Cora gritted his teeth. He was kinda afraid of this. It’s really hard after you lived years in utter violence to just go back to being normal.

 

Cora knew more than anyone that Law had the capacity to seriously hurt people with ease. Granted, after they ran away, Law hadn’t seemed willing to hurt anyone – but he was also deathly ill. So that might have played a factor. Cora frowned. He didn’t want Law to ruin his future because of this. Maybe he sent him back to school too quickly. Maybe he should have just kept homeschooling him?

 

“You need to relax, Rosi.” said Bellemere calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder “You’re thinking the worst – it might just be as simple as he was talking with another student during class and the teacher got mad. _Trust me_ , they call you if it’s really bad.”

 

Cora lifted his head from his laptop where he had furiously been typing up reports.

 

“Really?”

 

Bellemere laughed “Yeah! Because they have to notify the parent if the kid gets suspended, so I’m pretty sure it was something really mild and the teacher is just quick to get mad. How about this, go pick them up at the time you planned and go talk with the teacher, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

 

Cora sighed in relief.  That was good news.

 

Smoker stormed out of his office, still clearly mad about having his plans for the night ruined. Then he paused and turned to Cora “Trafalgar. My office. Now.” And then he went right back in his office

 

Cora yipped, surprised at getting addressed, jumping out of his seat and falling to the ground. Bellemere laughed as Cora groaned, sitting up.  “Is he going to kill me?”

 

“No, that’s not his killing voice!” commented Tashigi from her desk, also typing away “That’s his ‘I need to discuss something private with you’ voice.”

 

Cora was kinda scared at how well Tashigi apparently knew her boss.

 

 

 

Cora knocked on the door of the Captain’s office as he walked in. Smoker was typing away at his computer as he gestured to the chair in front of the desk “Sit.”

 

Cora nodded, quietly taking a seat. “Ah, um. You wanted to see me?”

 

Smoker nodded, looking away from his computer and straight at Cora “I’m going to need your help with something.  I was sent here to take down the gangs running rampant, but you and I both know that we’re not dealing with small fries here. The Red Hair and the Whitebeards are massive and powerful gangs. I can only do so much, so I’m going to need your help considering you know their inner workings much better than I do.”

 

Cora blinked, surprised. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised though. It made sense that the Captain would want to use his information like that. The man was strategically amazing. He used every resource he could to get the job done. 

 

“It’s not going to be easy. And the problem is that the city of Goa is structured around it’s gangs.  Getting rid of the Whitebeards and Red Hairs could destroy the entire structure of the town” noted Cora, worried

 

“Which is why they’re not my prey right now.” explained Smoker, pulling out a map “I’ve made a chart of what territory is owned by what gang. My plan is to strike down the little ones first and then keep moving up. Usually gangs rely on allies to get little things done. If I can get rid of their so-called mules, they’ll slowly collapse because they’ll need to spread out their main members instead – you snag those up. Soon enough, the major players will have to get on the field”

 

Cora listened to the Captain shocked. _He knew way too much for a simple cop_. How did he even know who had what territories so well?! Cora nodded, looking over the map.

 

“You also have to find out what product they’re moving around. That’s going to be another issue. And also keep in mind that once someone is taken down, someone else will move into their territory.” explained Cora, recognizing many of the names on the map

 

“That’s exactly what I want. The gangs will be forced to thin themselves out – which is when they make mistakes.”

 

 _This man is terrifying_. Cora grunted, looking at all of it over. This could easily work for small gangs – but anybody who’s been around long enough will know they’re being smoked out

 

“The issue is that this won’t work for the major gangs like the Whitebeards – they have the numbers easily to spread out.”

 

Smoker frowned, leaning back in his seat. Cora could have sworn he looked uncomfortable every time the Whitebeards get brought up. “I’m aware of that problem. I’ll be holding off on going after them for now. I’ll have to find another strategy for them.” Smoker then shifted, taking a cigar out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth. Cora could tell he really wanted to light it right now

 

“Also they’re smart. By being such high numbers – it’s hard to peg any crimes on any of the members. What they do is illegal, but it’s not a crime to be part of a gang. If we don’t catch individual members doing illegal things, we have jack shit on them.  Edward is good at making sure his members appear to have clean hands. So even if the members of the gang are clearly marked with their tattoos of his mark, we can’t arrest them for anything. But he’s going to fuck up – or rather all the kids he takes in are going to fuck up. All those _sons_ of his.” explained Smoker, clearly frustrated, and then he pulled out a file, opening it and showing Cora the top document “I especially have my eye on this one.”

 

Cora learned forward, grabbing the file, quickly reading it “Marco the Phoenix?”

 

Smoker nodded “ _Second in command of the Whitebeard gang at 17 years old_. This kind has to be special enough for the old man to give him that much responsibility. Apparently his information gathering skills are top notch.”

 

“Yeah. He’s high in demand.  Many gangs in the past have offered multiple bribes to try to get Marco, but he’s extremely loyal to Edward. But it makes sense, from what I understand, he went to live with Edward as a small child. Of course he’d be that loyal to the man that raised him.” explained Cora. 

 

That was exactly what Doffy did. He’d collect orphaned children and raise them, so that they would be loyal to him without a fault. He still felt pangs of regret for not taking Buffalo and Baby 5 away from Doflamingo, but they were too far gone at this point.

 

Smoker grunted, disgusted “When I think they collect children like that.”

 

Cora sighed, shrugging “Those kids need a home – so, they were given one.”

 

Smoker nodded, chewing on the end of his cigar “I’m going to discuss that with the Mayor tonight, we need to do more for the youth around here. If kids feel like they have no choice but join gangs, clearly that’s a problem that needs to be addressed.”

 

Cora stared at the Captain shocked. Most cops just arrested the kids without a second thought – the Captain wanted to get to the root of the problem.  It was a nice change.

 

“I read the file on your kid.” admitted Smoker, opening the drawer and pulling out the thick file and putting it in front of Cora. “I’ll be putting it in the safe. That way people won’t be able to poke their noses into it.” Cora sighed in relief

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Now get going, you have to go pick up your kids. I’ll see you tonight at the restaurant.” stated Smoker, getting up and going to the safe to open it, Law’s file in hand

 

Cora stood up, walking to the door “Thank you, honestly.”

 

Smoker shook his head “I’d be a shame if this got out. I wouldn’t want the kid’s life to be tarnished by this more than it has. The past belongs in the past.”

 

Cora smiled and nodded. The Captain was a good man.

 

 

 

Cora got into his car and drove to the school. He had forgotten about the whole detention fiasco while discussing with the Captain but now it was back on his mind. He quickly got to the school and parked the car in the visitor parking lot. He got out, walking inside the building. Cora went to the office, looking for someone to talk to. He knew well enough that strangers couldn’t just waltz into the school.

 

Cora walked up to the secretary who was typing away a report “Um, hello?”

 

“Welcome to Grand Line High, how can I help you sir?” Cora frowned a bit; the secretary somehow looked familiar to him.

 

“Ah, my son has detention? I was just wondering if I could speak to the teacher to know how come? I’m not here to defend him or anything though! Just really want to know the reason and I know that if I ask him, he won’t tell me, and I-“

 

“Detention is in the classroom right besides here. Your son should be there.  Who is he? I can tell you what teacher issued the detention” explained the secretary, adjusting her glassed with her fingers straight as a board.

 

“Trafalgar, Law?”

 

“Viola Dold issued the detention; I can go get her for you. In the meantime, feel free to go see your son.” stated the secretary, standing up and walking away. Yeah, Cora was sure he saw her somewhere before. But she was wearing more black.

 

 

Cora moved to the hallway and found the classroom. He poked his head inside and found three students sitting at the desks, doing homework. Well, Law was doing his homework by the looks of it. The guy sitting behind him also seemed to be trying to do his homework, but was very distracted by outside. The girl sitting in the desk at the left of Law had her legs up on the desk and was playing a game on her phone.

 

“LAW! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HAVE DETENTION ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL!” screeched Cora, furious. _So much for trying to remain calm_

 

Law jumped out of his seat, surprised by the sudden appearance of Cora “Hey! This is your fault!”

 

Cora pulled back, surprised “What the hell do you mean by that?! Don’t pin this on me!”

 

“It IS your fault! Did you meet up with Bepo? He’d probably in the quad.” explained Law, disregarding Cora’s request for more info

 

Cora blinked “I didn’t see him in the quad?”

 

“He probably went to the bathroom. He tried to sit here with us to work on his homework, but Miss Viola didn’t let him.”

 

Cora was about to respond, but the secretary returned, standing beside Cora “Mister Trafalgar, Miss Viola would like to see you now.”

 

Cora nodded, thanking the secretary and turned back to Law “You’re done here soon right?”

 

Law nodded “Yeah, about 10 minutes left.”  Cora gave Law the okay gesture and turned to follow the secretary

 

Cora sighed, following the secretary to a classroom. She opened the door and gesture for Cora to walk in. Cora blinked, looking around the room. Everything was in _Spanish_!

 

He frowned sharply, starting to panic – did he have a meltdown? A panic attack?! Why did he let him take Spanish?!

 

“You must be mister Trafalgar’s father” started Viola. Beautiful woman, noted Cora, but she looked beyond pissed off.

 

“Ah yeah, I’m here because my son has detention and they told me you issued it – I’m not here to start a fight or defend him, I just want to know what happened so I can talk with him and to prevent it from happening again!” explained Cora quickly, putting his hands up . He didn’t want the teacher to think he was one of _those_ parents.

 

Miss Viola nodded, seeming to relax a bit. “He disturbed the class multiple times.”

 

Cora stared at her shocked. _Law?!_ Law was disturbing a class?

 

“Ah?! That doesn’t sound like him at all! Was he talking with other students?! Oh wait, he was making his dumb ass comments again – I mean, dumb comments, I’m sorry.”

 

Miss Viola shook her head, and then frowned deeply “No. He kept laughing.”

 

Cora frowned deeply, confused “Like – Law? Law Trafalgar? Like, the boy that looked pissed off all the time? Laughing? In class?” _Clearly they confused Law with a different student_.

 

Miss Viola nodded “Yes! We were reading and he kept giggling and laughing and suddenly he just bursts into a laughing fit and couldn’t stop! I had to kick him out of class and mister Monkey who was laughing with him!”

 

Cora had a sinking feeling in his stomach “Umm…mind me asking…what book you were reading?”

 

“I don’t see how that’s so important” she started but grabbed the book from the desk and held it up “But we’re reading _The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes_ “

 

_GOD FUCKING DAMNIT_

 

“I…I ah, I’m sorry, it’s…it’s my fault he kept laughing. Ah. ARGH” started Cora, running his hands through his hand, clawing his face. _OF COURSE IT HAD TO BE THAT DAMNED BOOK_. 

 

Miss Viola frowned, lifting a brow “I do not understand, mister Trafalgar.”

 

“My…My parents were big fans of that book…ah, um. ARGH. LOOK.” Cora took out his wallet and pulled out his driver’s license, handing it over to Miss Viola. She took the license and read the name, gasping, shocked, and dropping the book.

 

“Your name- !”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That’s why he laughed!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Your parents named you after the horse?!”

 

“…yeah.” replied Cora, defeated. “They thought he was funny and charming, sweet and loyal, so – yeah.” _Also considering their family name, it worked rather well. The teacher didn’t need to know that he was clumsy as well._

“I was wondering why he found this all so funny. _Fine_. I will remove this detention from the record, but he better not laugh again!” stated Miss Viola, handing Cora back his driver’s license.

 

“There’s no need to do that” stated Cora, bending over to pick up the book and then hitting his head on the desk

 

“A-A-AH! H-He deserved the detention.” explained Cora, rubbing the spot he bashed against the desk, handing Miss Viola the book

She laughed softly, taking the book from Cora “Clumsy as well, I see. Maybe it is a name that suits you, Rosinante.” Then she paused «It’s not a name you hear often, are you from Spain as well?»

 

Cora shook his head, surprised at the sudden switch to Spanish «Ah yes, but, not directly, it’s hard to explain. You?»

 

Miss Viola smiled, blushing slightly «Yes, I’m from Dressrosa. »

 

Cora’s eyes shot open. Holy sh-! The Donquixotes originally ruled Dressrosa until they moved. Cora never thought he’d hear that name again! «Oh wow! I haven’t heard that name in ages! It’s rare to meet people from Dressrosa.»

 

Miss Viola chuckled «It’s nice that someone actually knows Dressrosa. You have family there? »

 

Cora smiled. _Stay cool_. «Had actually, but a long time ago»

 

Miss Viola frowned «The boy. He’s Italian isn’t he? »

 

Cora nodded «Ah yes, well, he’s my adopted son. He’s originally from Italy, yes »

 

Miss Viola smiled «I trust you’ll deal with his laughing problem? »

 

Cora smiled brightly, nodding «I’m on it! »

 

 

Cora then left the class, proud of himself. It seemed he smoothed things over with Law’s teacher. Cora felt bad for doubting Law and expecting the worst of out him, but he couldn’t help it! But Law was a good kid, and Cora needed to have more faith in that. Now he was going to pick up Law and Bepo, get dressed, and go to a nice dinner that was all paid by the Mayor. Yeah, he just needed to have more faith in Law

 

 

“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP, I WILL BEAT YOU WITH THIS DESK!”

 

Cora gasped, turning into the classroom. Law was standing at the girl’s desk, face completely red, clearly pissed off.  The girl on the other hand was laughing

 

“WHAT THE HELL?! I JUST WENT TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT WITH YOUR TEACHER AND NOW YOU’RE THREATENING THIS POOR GIRL?!”

 

“Stay out of this!” barked Law, not amused

 

“No fuck that! Like what the hell man?! You can’t go around threatening to beat people with desks!” replied Cora, furious “Now get your ass in gear, we have to go home and get changed and head out soon after”

 

“I don’t ever want to hear that shit out of your mouth again!” threatened Law at the girl, who merely smirked and waved

 

 _Cora was going to kill him_!

 

“Bye Torao!” said the other boy, smiling brightly and waving

 

Law blushed slightly and waved back weakly at the other boy “A-Ah, yeah, bye Luffy.” And walked past Cora, walking quickly down the hallway

 

_What was this?!_

 

“Hey. Law. Hey. No, you don’t get to run away. Who was that boy? Why did he call you Torao? What does that even mean?” stated Cora, briskly walking behind Law who was trying to escape. It was hard for Law to do so when Cora could easily catch up to him – it paid off to be a giant sometimes.

 

“I-It doesn’t matter! Drop it!” barked Law, getting redder. There is no way in hell he was dropping this now!

 

“Hey! I didn’t know you were here, Cora!” exclaimed Bepo happily, sitting on a bench in the quad

 

“You should join a club, Bepo. Since this guy is apparently going to live in detention.” stated Cora dryly, gesturing to Law with his thumb

 

“Hey!” cried out Law

 

“Also, who is Luffy, why is he calling Law ‘Torao’ and why is Law all nervous around him” Cora smiled; Bepo would have the answers for him!

 

“Umm, Luffy’s a funny kid in our grade. He calls Law that because he probably misheard his last name and gave him a weird nickname, he does that and I don’t know why Law would be nervous around him. But I heard that he got detention because of Law.” explained Bepo. Law frowned sharply, glaring at Bepo

 

“Turncoat! You snitch!”

 

Bepo frowned, looking down “I’m sorry”

 

“Oye! Stop being mean to Bepo! None of that was worth hiding!” declared Cora, grabbing Law by the back of his shirt, lifting him slightly and dragged him out the main doors “I can’t believe you threatened that girl! What’s wrong with you?!”

 

“Which girl?” asked Bepo following along

 

“Bonney Jewelry.”

 

“Huh? How come?”

 

“I’ll tell you later” stated Law, getting into the backseat with Bepo as Cora got into the driver’s seat

 

“You tell him but not me?!” asked Cora, starting the car “I’m the adult who can get you out of shit!”

 

 “Because it’s not important for you to know! Besides, she was asking for it.” explained Law, leaning into his seat “Where’s this sushi place we’re going to anyways?”

 

Bepo frowned “Don’t you know?...I forgot to tell you. I’m sorry!”

 

“Forgot to tell me what?”

 

“We’re not going to sushi, the Mayor decided to make a special dinner for the new cops, so we’re going to that instead. But it’s a fancy restaurant, so we have to get all cleaned up.  Thank god I bought you both suits last year.” explained Cora, sighing. He now understands the fuss the Captain made; he was too tired for this shit after a long shift.

 

“What? I was excited for sushi!” whined Law, leaning more into his seat, looking pissed

 

“I know, I know. But instead we can go Friday, okay? To celebrate the end of the week!” bargained Cora, hoping to please Law

 

Law sighed “Guess that’s fine.”

 

Then Law smirked

 

“Hey Cora.”

 

“What?”

“NEEIIIGGHH”

 

“I WILL THROW YOU OUT OF THIS CAR, I SWEAR!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAANNND CHAPTER END! Next week it’s Whitebeards week!


	10. –ACE- Town Meeting Song (Time to Get Pitchforks!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter out a little early this week because work is going to be super busy and the chapter was already done so here it is! Just to note – Whitebeard is younger here because so is Ace!

 

 

 

Ace turned the corner, heading towards the parking lot to be met with Marco leaning against the wall.

“All good?” asked Marco, standing straight and following Ace out to the parking lot. Ace nodded, rubbing the back of his neck

“Yeah, seems like. But Zoro picked him up in the classroom first.”

Marco snorted, and then he paused before snickering. Ace lifted a brow

“What?”

“You just missed one hell of a scene in the hallway just now. Seems like your brother got detention today.” explained Marco, taking out the car keys and hitting the button for the alarm, watching the three boys already in the mustang jump up, startled at the noise

“WHAT?! Goddamnit, Luffy! The first freaking day?!” groaned Ace “Any idea why?”

“Disturbing class. Apparently he started laughing along with another student” explained Marco, getting into the car, his seat was instantly kicked

“BOO! You suck Marco!” cried Thatch, kicking the chair again for good measures. Ace laughed, getting into the passenger seat as Marco started the car and drove out of the parking lot

“You guys jumped like, a foot in the air!”

“We’ll get you back for this.” promised Izo, narrowing his eyes. Ace turned around

“Whoah whoah! This is all Marco! You get _Marco_ back for this!”

Haruta laughed, leaning back in his seat “Well well, now it’s not so funny, isn’t it?”

Ace narrowed his eyes, pointing at the three in the back “Watch it. I’m the King of Pranks.”

“No. No pranks. Not again. We still haven’t gotten those burn marks off the wall in the living room!” stated Marco, his voice stern.  Ace huffed

“I bought that nice painting to cover it though!”

“That painting is so fucking ugly, I have no idea why Pops let you put it up” Izo pretended to throw up, making Thatch laugh

“What! No! It’s awesome!”

“Ace, it’s a black velvet painting of a bull with psychedelic colours!” reminded Thatch

“Uh, like I said? Awesome?”

“You’re lucky you’re hot Ace, because you have the worst taste in the world.” explained Izo, waving his hand as if to dismiss Ace

“I do not!”

“Look at what you’re wearing. Seriously. So lucky you’re hot.” pointing out Izo, looking discouraged

“…Hey, the Captain said that this morning too, actually...” remembered Ace, frowning. Then he turned to Marco “Do I have shitty taste?”

“Yes. Yes, you really do. Ace, we pick literally the ugliest thing we can in the store for your birthday presents and you always love it.”

“…those presents are awesome!”

“Weirdly enough, the only time you don’t have shitty taste is with people.” pointed out Thatch, shoving himself against Izo, who let out a surprised cry, pushing back

“…wow you guys are assholes.” stated Ace, frowning sharply, crossing his arms and sinking into his seat

“Hey you asked” replied Marco as he kept driving. Then he frowned, smirking “Yoi Yoi Yoi, break it up back there! Or I’ll turn this car around!”

Thatch laughed, tickling Izo’s sides as he laughed, squirming “You’ll bring us back to school? Noo, mom! Don’t bring us back to school!”

“S-Stop it Thatch! M-Mom is g-gonna g-get p-pissed!” replied Izo, laughing. Haruta just laughed at both of them

“HEY! Why are you calling me _mom_?!” Marco frowned, not sure how to take it. Ace snorted

“Good job guys, he didn’t know he was mom until now.”

“Wait – do you guys call me ‘mom’ behind my back?!” asked Marco, eyes narrowing

“Well duh. Pops is Pops and since you take care of all of us, you’re ‘ _Mom_ ’” explained Thatch as he stopped tickling Izo who was trying to wipe the tears out of his eyes

“You’re _so lucky_ I have to redo my face before tonight anyways, Thatch! Or you’d be dead!” then he smirked at Marco “Like literally everyone calls you Mom. How did you not know this – or the type of underwear Ace’s new beau wears! Stop disappointing us, Marco!”

“YEAH!” replied Ace, laughing “You let me down!”

Marco rolled his eyes, turning into a long narrow road “ _Oh shut up_. I’ll rig a camera in his bedroom just for you, Ace”

Ace’s eyes widen, he was about to say something, then paused “…I don’t think he’d like me very much if he found out I watched him in private. He seemed like a very private kind of guy.”

“Oooh you considered it!” accused teasingly Izo, pointing at Ace “Ecchi!! Hentai!!”

Ace laughed “I’m sorry! I’ll repent!”

“Ah! Then you volunteer to help me undo my hair, fantastic!” replied Izo singsong-y, grinning

“Oh, you got tricked into that one, Ace” noted Haruta, laughing

Thatch frowned “I thought I always help you out, Izo?”

Izo smiled softly, shaking his head “We’re on a supper tight schedule tonight and you have supper to make. Ace and I both have to work tonight.”

“Oh? You do Ace?” asked Haruto, leaning forward, against Ace’s seat

“Ah yeah, the Baratie has like, a big party tonight and needed a hand. And you know me, always willing to do any job that pays under the table.” explained Ace

“Yes, about that dinner. It’s the mayor having a celebratory dinner for the new cops in town.” added Marco, approaching the big metal gate that limited the entry to the mansion inside.

“ _OH_?” said Ace excitedly. He didn’t think he’d see the Captain so soon after

“Oho, Ace. I’ll teach you my secrets to find out what kind of underwear a man is wearing under their clothes just by looking at them” offered Izo, smirking

 

The Whitebeards didn’t all live in the big mansion on Moby Dick lane, but it was where they all reunited. It was a very isolated house. Only one road leading to it that was highly monitored. Marco punched the code on the remote in his car, making the gate open. The house is made of white limestone with light blue accents. In the car, only Ace didn’t live at the house – well, for now. It was a multiple story house, surrounded by a giant brick wall and a metal gate. Access was extremely limited in general but the mansion was easily spotted from nearly anywhere in town. Newgate Edward wasn’t a man who hid but he took his privacy very seriously.

Marco pulled up to the front entrance and pulled over, letting everyone out and then drove to the large garage. Ace sighed, following everyone into the house. He dreamed of living here so bad. But he wasn’t allowed to until he turned 18, and it was so frustrating to have Garp attempting to stop him at every turn. _Garp was such a dick_.

The boys walked in and immediately took off their footwear. Vista came down the main staircase, smiling “Oh! You’re all home! Good! Everyone’s almost all here, Jozu needs to wait for his wife to come and take over for him at the store, but he’ll be here on time. A few other stragglers will be coming in a bit but Jozu’s the last division commander we’re waiting on. Everyone should be here on time”

“They better be.” Said Marco, coming in from the garage “It was Pops that called the meeting – is he in his office?” asked Marco, taking off his shoes and putting on a pair of sandals

“Yeah, he’s waiting for you. Haruta! Wanna spar a bit before supper?” asked Vista grinning. Haruta smiled brightly “Absolutely!”

Thatch put his hand on Izo’s shoulder “I’ll go make dinner, see you guys in a bit” and then walked off to the kitchen. Izo nodded and then turned to Ace, expression serious “Upstairs?”

Ace sighed, he knew there was more to this than just helping Izo with his hair.

 

 Before either boy could move, they heard something running towards them. Ace smiled brightly, dropping to his knees as a small white dog ran up to him “STEFAN!”

The Sealyham terrier climbed into Ace’s arms as Ace hugged him tight, ruffling his fur. Ace stood up, carrying Stefan, going up the stairs. Izo laughed

“Sorry Ace, Stefan can’t come with us, with my hair down, he’ll have nowhere to walk.”

Ace pouted, putting the dog down at the top of the staircase and petting his head

“We’ll be back together soon, Stefan.” whispered Ace at the dog, making him yip back in response and trotted away. Izo quickly led them to his room, opening the door and inviting Ace in.

 

Even though Izo had been living outside of Japan for a few years now, he took Japan with him with his room. He had the room redone with tatami mats and low furniture. Izo quickly removed his tunic and slipped out of his palazzo pants and washed off his makeup. Ace couldn’t stop the smile on his face when he saw Izo’s tattoos. _They were gorgeous_.  He had the Whitebeard symbol (the original design) on both of his arms, but around it, Izo had gotten traditional tattoos done around them, looking like old Yakuza tattoos. When he wore a kimono, they didn’t show – otherwise his family would kill him. Ace wish he knew the meaning behind it all – but he was afraid it was too personal of a thing to ask. Izo had also gone back to Japan to have them done the traditional way.

 Izo quickly put on the needed undergarments and took out two cushions and placed them in front of a full-length mirror and a table filled with beauty supplies and accessories.  He placed the other pillow behind the first one and kneeled down on the first one. Ace took his seat behind him.

To the side, there was a small television hooked up to a laptop. Izo flipped the laptop open.

“Want to work on your Japanese while we do this?” offered Izo, opening up a small side fridge and pulling out a few bottles of water, offering one to Ace, who gladly accepted it

“Sure, but nothing too hard, I’m kinda fried” explained Ace, grabbing one of the combs and resettling on the cushion as he watched Izo select a show from a streaming service

“Chi’s Sweet Home it is then!” picked Izo, leaning back onto the cushion and started to take out the pins holding his hair in

“That’s the kitten one, right?” asked Ace, slowly undoing the strands of hair. He’d be dead if he broke any of Izo’s hair

“Mmhmm.” replied Izo, undoing the strands “You don’t need to untease it that much; I’ll need to put it back up for tonight anyways.”

“Okay, I gotcha.”

They both worked in silence for a while, Ace always in awe when Izo’s hair was down. It easily went past his feet if he stood up, which was a really impressive feat considering that Izo was the tallest of their gang at school. Ace had a hard time dealing with his own hair and it was considerably shorter than this.

“Are you serious about the Captain?” asked Izo quietly. Ace jumped slightly, lost in his own thoughts.

“Well, I barely know him” admitted Ace, knowing the topic was going to get to the Captain

“I’m not judging you or telling you not to.” started Izo, looking down at the strand he was working on, then he flashed his eyes back up, catching Ace’s gaze in the mirror “But I do think you need to be _very careful_. Not only is he a cop, one that’s renowned for taking down gangs at that, but he is also considerably older than you. I don’t want you to get hurt in all of this. Older men can be very cruel and fickle. You don’t have experience dating _whatsoever_. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Ace sighed softly, smiling. For everyone teasing that Marco was the mom, sometimes Ace swore it was Izo. Izo took Ace’s silence as an opening to continue

“To him this might just be a fling but I know you, Ace. You’re not the fling type. You come off as an easy-going guy, but you’re not. You’re very guarded, very serious and very loyal. If you were to start something with this man, I can see you getting hurt. And if he hurts you, I’ll have to kill him.”

Ace chuckled softly, still working on the different strands. But he knew very well that Izo would kill him. He was the best shot out of the entire gang and was easily one of the country’s best shots. If Izo wanted someone dead – they’d be dead.

“I’m…not that ahead to be honest. I’m just coasting on the crush for now. But honestly, what could I possibly have to offer this guy? I’m an off-record kid in a gang with no real future. That just screams ‘take me home to your mother’.” explained Ace, sighing

“Oi! Don’t speak badly about yourself!” scolded Izo, frowning “You have a lot to offer! He’d be a total idiot to turn you down!”

Ace blinked, and then he blushed furiously, looking sheepish. Izo sighed

“I’m just saying that if you’re going to do this, be straightforward and honest with him. Don’t play games, don’t pretend you’re someone you’re not, don’t try to hide things. Lay it all out on the table. Let this be an informed risk he’s taking.” continued Izo as he started to part his hair. “Hold these please, but separate”

Ace nodded, watching Izo meticulously style his hair in a complex style, asking Ace to hold parts and then exchanging them for other parts.

“Isn’t this similar to what you had this morning?” asked Ace, watching Izo put in the hair decorations

“Yep, but I earned the right to wear like this, so I’m going to” explained Izo, grabbing his makeup off the small table

“Earned?” asked Ace, watching Izo started to put his makeup back on

“Didn’t you remember that my hair was different when we first met?” inquired Izo, putting on the foundation

“Uh yeah now that you mention it, it was like, rounder?” offered Ace, trying to put the hair into words, it was complex enough

“Hmm, it was because I hadn’t earned the right to do my hair like this. But now I have, so I will.” explained Izo “You can go now if you want”

Ace smiled, shaking his head as he leaned back on his hands “Naw, I like watching you get ready.”

Izo gasped, pretending to be appalled “ _Hentai_!” Ace only laughed

 

A while later they both came down the stairs, Izo looking considerably more put together with a traditional kimono on and makeup that was more elaborate than what he had on at school, but Izo swore was simplified to what he would have been wearing traditionally.

“Oh, you guys are just in time! C’mon! Pops is already at the table!” said Jozu, walking by, yawning

Ace quickly made his way to the dining room and looked around impressed. It was rare to see all the members of the Whitebeard reunited like this. Their numbers were great and getting them all together was nearly impossible. But if Pops tells you to be there, you’re going to be there. And speaking of Pops, there he was sitting at the head of the table.

Newgate Edward was a very large, tall man. He was 70 years old but you wouldn’t know it except for the fact that his hair of his moustache was white. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand, laughing away as his nurses tried to get him to not drink it – and falling miserably. Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly every time he saw him. To Ace, Newgate was his father. He had taken him in at his absolute worst and taken care of him as a son. Not only that, when Ace had told him he was Roger’s son - _he didn’t care_. Ace owes everything to him.

Ace quickly took his seat and started to dig into dinner.  Dinners at the Whitebeard mansion were always really fun – with loud conversations, booming laughter and lots of food and drinks to go around. But once dinner was done, the mood instantly grew serious.   


“My dear sons, we have a problem.” started Whitebeard, lying back in his chair “For some reason, underneath our noses, Grand Line High has a new principal. Usually this wouldn’t be an issue, but the scumbag they assigned the role is Sakazuki Akainu.”

Ace could hear a collective sound of outrage and disbelief. But when he looked around the room, it was mostly the older members of the gang who responded to the name.

“For you whelps, who have never heard of Sakazuki, he’s a piece of shit Marine that used to work under the World Government and he’s easily the biggest shitball you’ll ever meet. He’s underhanded, manipulative, two-faced asshole who will burn anyone and everyone to further his own career. The man has no sense of honor or dignity and will stoop to any level to get what he wants. That said.” started Whitebeard, frowning sharply “What bothers me though is why he’s currently a high school principal. Last I heard he was still kissing ass with the World Government.”

“He still has files with them” started Marco, flipping through his ipad “But I wasn’t able to crack any of them open for now. But I’ll keep working on them”

Whitebeard smiled, laughing “GURARARARA! That’s my son! I expect nothing less of you! But all of you _be careful_. If he’s in Goa, he’s here for a reason and he’ll stop at nothing to get to it. Also, Ace, I’ve told that you’re going to be a server at the Mayor’s dinner tonight at the Baratie?”

Ace nodded, telling himself to not be surprised that Pops knew “Yeah?”

“Good, I’ll need you to come to my office with me. I need to discuss what I need you to do tonight, understood?”  Whitebeard then stood up with Marco, grabbing his much refilled glass of whiskey and both headed out of the room “Meeting dismissed, carry on with your nights, boys!”

Ace smiled, nodding “You know it!” then he took a piece of cake from the table and stuffed it in his mouth and jumped out of his chair, running after Whitebeard

“That’s it, Ace! Practice breathing through your nose when something is stuffed in your mouth!” cried out Izo after him, making everyone laugh

Ace smirked, flipping him off as he walked out of the room, making the laughter roar even harder

 

 

Ace followed Whitebeard and Marco back to the office on the third floor. The room was huge, decorated to look like a massive library with a giant white desk in the middle of the room with small office to the side. Whitebeard sat down in the chair behind the desk and Marco sat perched on the edge of the desk, Ace merely stood in front, feeling nervous.

“Relax boy.” started Whitebeard “I’m not gonna punish you or anything, we just have to talk. Does Sakazuki’s name meaning anything to you?”

Ace frowned, shaking his head “No? Not particularly?”

“Well it should. He was extremely aggressive about the execution of Roger and his kin.” explained Whitebeard. Ace could feel the colour disappearing from his face.

“You mean-“

“I think he’s here for you.” stated Whitebeard bluntly; Ace could feel his knees buckle, the room was starting to spin as well

“Ace, sit down, man.” offered Marco, speaking softly. Ace nodded, pulling up a chair and sat down.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat this, boy. I think he figured out that Roger’s child is alive and well and pinpointed him to this city. Now, I don’t know if he _knows_ it’s you, or he just thinks that it’s someone at your school. So, until you turn 18, try to stay out of his hair. The statute of limitation for your arrest and execution expires then and even if he does figure out it’s you, he won’t be able to do anything” explained Whitebeard sighing “Lucky for you though, you’re the splitting image of your mother and look nothing like that bastard, Roger.”

Ace nodded, his mind whirling. _Akainu had looked straight at him though_! Chances are he knew – but _how?!_ The pool of people who knew the truth was so limited – _Garp_?! Could it have been Garp?! But why would the man have taken responsibility for him for nearly 18 years if he was just going to sell him out in the end? It made no sense?

“Boy.” Whitebeard called out, pulling Ace out of his thoughts “Get a hold of yourself. We will do anything and everything in our power to make sure he doesn’t get you – understood? On that note though –“then Whitebeard smirked “- have a thing for the new police chief, eh?”

Ace turned completely red, angry as he glared at Marco, jaw dropped “YOU BIG MOUTHED PIECE OF SHIT!”

Marco burst out laughing, leaning back and falling on the desk, clutching his stomach

Whitebeard laughed along, slapping his knee. _Of course he found it hilarious_!

“I-I won’t, _I_ won’t let it, I-I” oh god, Ace couldn’t even get the words out because he was so humiliated! _Marco was a dead man_!

“Relax boy, I don’t question your loyalty. I wanted to let you know that if you wish to pursue this, I give you permission.”

Ace blinked, shocked “Wha-?!”

Marco snapped forward, turning to Whitebeard, shocked as well “ _What?_ ”

Whitebeard nodded, smiling “I know Chase Smoker very well. Honestly I’ll be surprised if that old hardass even gives you the time of day. But, if he does for whatever reason, I trust Ace to not jeopardize us in any way.”

Ace smiled softly, flattered by the trust Pops had in him.

“But for tonight, I want you to keep an eye on the conversations around the table. Now, I don’t think anything relevant or productive will really happen at the dinner, but just in case. That mayor is a real fool. The Captain will try to bring forward things, but the Mayor I highly doubt it, but just in case” Ace nodded, he was planning listen-in on them anyways. And he knew Sabo and Koala would too.

“Alright, now get going, Thatch is going to give you and Izo both a ride. You mustn’t be late” continued Whitebeard, waving his hand to dismiss Ace. Ace quickly thanked Pops for his time and stepped out, heading down the stairs where Izo and Thatch were quietly discussing among themselves at the door. They broke apart to look at Ace, Thatch smiling and Izo raising a brow

 

“You’re not getting changed?” asked Izo as Ace walked up to them

“Naw. They give you the full uniform over there.” explained Ace, grabbing his bag that he left at the door

“You guys ready to serve some people tonight?” asked Thatch, opening up the garage door

“Pfft, get out of here” replied Izo, walking through the door and Ace following behind

Thatch walked up to his car, laughing as he unlocked the doors, opening the door for Izo to get in. Ace smiled, it was always kinda really funny how borderline helpless Izo became once he had everything on. Ace was sure he could manage anyways, he was Izo after all, but Thatch just loved to help him. Thatch once said that Izo looked like royalty all dolled up. Ace got into the backseat since he was the first one to get off as Thatch got into the driver’s seat

“Will you need a ride home?” asked Thatch, hitting the clicker to open the garage door

“Naw. I’ll be getting out much later anyways. Usually I’m there at least until like, 10pm or 11, I’ll just huff it home myself.” explained Ace, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat

“Alright, if you’re sure.” replied Thatch, driving out of the yard

Ace decided to try and catch a bit of shut eye – he had a long night ahead of himself and he wanted the giant ball of anxiety in his stomach to go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STEFAN IS CANON AND THAT’S ALL THAT COUNTS!   
> Profile here! http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Stefan
> 
> Next week we’re going to Law and we’re gonna find out why he got mad at Bonney! Also heads up – I’m going to try to update on time next week but I’ll be gone to a con the whole weekend – but it seems that you can time something to be posted at a certain time – so I’m going to try that! If not – Tuesday morning for sure!


	11. - LAW – New Rule – All Potential Step-Parents MUST Be Older Than Me! (So Fuck Off!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEESS! Made it on time! Now we find out why Law was so mad in detention!

 

 

 

Laws was ticked off.

On one hand, he understood why he had detention – on the other hand; _this was total bullshit_.

Soon after his last class of the day ended, he had presented himself at the office, where the secretary had led him to an empty classroom besides the office. Bepo asked the secretary if he could join detention too because they were leaving together anyways, but Miss Viola was in the office and she had chased him away and told him to wait in the quad.  Law had quickly taken a seat near the back and pulled out his homework. _This was what people did in detention, right?_

Honestly Law was rather surprised that he even had homework on the first day, but most of it was merely readings. Soon enough, Luffy barreled into the classroom and sat right behind Law

“Hey Torao!”

“I’m doing homework and so should you.” stated Law, not looking away from his workbook. Luffy chuckled, taking out his own workbook

“I was gonna! After me and my friends are going to go hang out at Zoro’s house after, do you wanna come?”

Law frowned, still looking at his book. Why was he inviting him over to his friend’s house? They just met!

“No thank you, I have plans tonight”

“Yeah, a date with his right hand” stated a girl who walked into detention and sat down beside him. Law lifted a brow at the girl, frowning. He was sure he’s seen her around.

“ _I’m left handed.”_

The girl blinked and then burst out laughing, taking out a box of Milk Duds out of her pocket and started eating them

“Nice response. Name’s Bonney Jewelry! Haven’t seen you around, good looking? Where have you been hiding?”

“I’m trying to do homework?” replied Law; he was not getting in trouble again!

Before Bonney could say another work, a teacher burst into the classroom. _Was he wearing a speedo_?!

 

“Hello dudes and dudettes! Gotta say, I am super impressed that you guys managed to get detention on the very first day of school. Like, was this something you set out to do or anything? Anyways, bad news guys, I really didn’t think someone would _actually_ be in detention so I set up a few conference calls, so I gotta bounce right back to my office, but I’ll check up on your guys, just, try to behave okay and everything will go SUPER!”

And then the teacher left

Law stared stunned, not sure how to handle the hurricane that just came into the class. But he shrugged and went right back into his work.

 

Time passed before suddenly Law was shaken out of his thoughts by screaming – _at him_.

“LAW! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HAVE DETENTION ON THE FIRST GODDAMN DAY OF SCHOOL!”

Law jumped out of his seat and looked towards the door- holy shit, it was Cora and he looked _pissed_!

“Hey! This is your fault!”

Technically it was – but this was clearly the wrong thing to say, because Cora looked almost offended at the accusation

“What the hell do you mean by that?! Don’t pin this on me!”

Shit. Okay. _Time to diffuse the situation_. Bepo!

 

“It IS your fault! Did you meet up with Bepo? He’d probably in the quad.”

 

Cora blinked. _Yes! It worked!_ “I didn’t see him in the quad?”

 

“He probably went to the bathroom. He tried to sit here with us to work on his homework, but Miss Viola didn’t let him.”

 

Cora was about to respond, but the secretary returned, standing beside Cora “Mister Trafalgar, Miss Viola would like to see you now.”

 

Cora nodded, thanking the secretary and turned back to Law. And tension diffused. _If Cora was a subject you studied – he’d have a PHD_. “You’re done here soon right?”

 

Law nodded “Yeah, about 10 minutes left.”  Cora gave Law the okay gesture and turned to follow the secretary

 

Law sighed in relief and went back to his reading. There was a moment of silence until Bonney spoke up

“Was that really tall guy your dad?”

Law frowned, looking away from his book and glared at Bonney – why did she keep bothering him?!

“No, random people like to come yell at me in detention – _of course that’s my dad_!”

“He’s awfully young. What is he? In his late 20’s”

Law growled – he knew she wouldn’t shut up unless she got an answer

“He’s 28.”

“Did he have you at like, 13 or something? Like holy shit.”

“Yeah, the white guy with blonde hair and hazel eyes is my biological dad, how did you know?” As if his tan skin, grey eyes and black hair wasn’t a dead giveaway or anything. _Someone was clearly failing biology_.

“Hey man, maybe you’re mixed or something, I was trying not to assume shit”

“No. He adopted me.”

 

Bonney stayed quiet. Law exhaled, enjoying the peace and quiet before she spoke up again

 

“Hey. Do you need a stepmom?”

 

Law could see his vision getting red _. No fucking away is she going anywhere NEAR Cora_!

“YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!”

“Che, touchy touchy” muttered Bonney as she kept playing a game on her phone, popping a piece of candy in her mouth.

There was silence for a moment longer until once again  


“Soo…is your dad like…proportionate _everywhere_? I need to know…for science.”

 

Law stood up, slamming his book down on the desk as he stood up in front of Bonney’s desk and slammed his hand down on the desk, pointing at her with the other as she started laughing

“I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP, I WILL BEAT YOU WITH THIS DESK!”

 

“WHAT THE HELL?! I JUST WENT TO SMOOTH THINGS OUT WITH YOUR TEACHER AND NOW YOU’RE THREATENING THIS POOR GIRL?!”

_Oh god no._

 

After an awkward scene in the school and a long ride home – they finally made it back to their home.  Law groaned the second he walked in. Now that he was home, he just wanted to take his clothes off, get in a comfy t-shirt and boxer and relax for the rest of the night. Law always hated pit stops like this – even when he lived with his biological family. On the bright side, Cora didn’t seem too happy himself, muttering away about where he put their nice shoes.

“Do we have to go to this?” asked Law, frowning as he took off his shoes at the door

“Yeah. Otherwise there’s no food in the food because I haven’t had the chance to do groceries yet. So you’d both be shit out of luck for supper.” explained Cora, unbuttoning his uniform shirt and slipping it off.  It was always kind of hard to see how littered with scars Cora was – especially since –

“Oh! Cora! Law told me the other day that he stabbed you once! Did it leave a scar?” Law couldn’t believe how childishly curious Bepo look as he asked that. Cora merely chuckled and started running his left hand down his back, his fingers carefully following along, looking for the scar

“This is the entry scar” started Cora as Bepo looked at it amazed. Personally it just made Law feel super bad.  Then Cora moved his fingers to his chest, pointing to another scar “And this is the exit scar!”

“Law stabbed right through you?!” asked Bepo amazed. Why the hell wasn’t he disturbed damnit?!

“Yeah, but don’t worry – personally I was impressed a ten year old had such force!” explained Cora, smiling brightly and laughing “It was okay though. I completely understood why he did it.”

Law frowned. He didn’t want this conversation to happen. Law huffed, turning and making his way quickly up the stairs, slamming the door as he went into his room. Law threw himself on his bed, closing his eyes. He knew that Cora wasn’t mad about him stabbing Cora – especially with his drunken, sobbing confession that one night. But _he_ felt awful about it. When he had told Bepo, it was because he didn’t want them to have any secrets, but he never expected it to be brought up so casually. Law knew that it was probably for the best that it was brought up. It happened and they shouldn’t pretend it didn’t. But he hadn’t expected it to upset him so much. _Why was this upsetting him so much?!_

“Law, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t want me to mention it.”

Law looked up from where his face was splattered against his pillows. He didn’t even hear Bepo come in

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t think it would bother me this much” explained Law, no sense beating around the bush

“I should have realized it though” started Bepo, coming into the room, sitting on the bed and hugging Law. “You’re kinda sensitive when it comes to Cora.”

Law turned bright red. _Holy shit, he was_. Fuck.

“Urgh, whatever” grunted Law, leaning into the hug. Bepo gave nice warm hugs.

“Sorry to disrupt this scene but-“started Cora, smiling sheepishly as he held up two pairs of nice shoes. Law’s were black and white oxfords and Bepo’s were only black. Law couldn’t help but smile back softly

“I’m not mad…or upset…anymore” said Law quietly, not breaking the hug with Bepo

Cora sighed, smiling and sitting down on the bed besides the boys “I figured, just brought up memories, huh?”

Law puffed out his cheeks, now a little embarrassed and shifted Bepo towards Cora, who tipped over and fell in Cora’s arms. Cora laughed, holding both boys “You could have just said you wanted a hug!”

They were silent for a while, then Cora sighed again “We have to get ready if we’re going to be there in time.”

“I guess” muttered Law, eyes closed and enjoying the warmth

“I’m sorry about sushi! I really wanted to go too! I looked around and apparently Foxfire Sushi is the best place in town too! But I called them today and made a reservation for Friday and we’ll have the fancy room with the tatamis and it’s gonna be g-“

“Cora. Stop. It’s okay. You’re taking me to a fancy fish place.” explained Law

Cora paused, and then laughed, embarrassed “Haha yeah, I guess so.”

“Just wish I could go in jeans.”

“They don’t let you _in_ if you’re in jeans”

Then Cora paused, turning to leave, but then turned back “…Law, why were you mad in detention?”

Law sighed – no point in hiding it now “She asked if I needed a step mom and then asked if you’re completely proportionate”

Bepo started to howl in laughter and Law watched as Cora turned completely red

“W-WHAT?! T-That’s so fresh of her! She is a child! A child!”

“It’s why I told her to fuck off!”

“Cora you’re all red!” remarked Bepo, pointing at Cora who started to rub his face, trying to get the red out

“Okay! Enough of that! Get ready! Get ready! We’re running late!” and then the very embarrassed Cora left the room – but not before running into the door frame

There was silence in the room before Bepo and Law restarted laughing

“Did she really?” asked Bepo, wiping the tears out of his eyes

“Yeah, it was beyond awkward – I don’t want to think about Cora’s dick size?!”

“THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE YOU GUYS GETTING READY!” howled Cora from his room. Law could _hear_ in his voice how embarrassed he was.

Both boys burst out laughing.

 

All three of them after quickly got dressed and washed up. Earlier this year, Cora had to get a few suits custom made due to his size and decided to get one done for both of his sons. Law borderline thought it was ridiculous since both he and Bepo were growing – but Cora insisted. Saying that they never knew when they needed a suit and appearances were important. When Cora spoke like that, Law always wondered if he was parroting his parents, Sengoku or his brother. Nether less, Law really liked his suit. It fit him really well. It was black with a yellow lining inside. Law wore a yellow dress shirt with it with the top buttons undone and a loose black tie. Bepo came out of his room in an orange suit with a white dress shirt and a matching orange bowtie and black vest. Law smirked – man they were lucky at how flexible Cora was with their colour choices.  Cora soon came out of his room in a normal black suit with a dark pink tie – Law frowned.

“Hey! You’re seriously dressing normal?”

Cora eeped and shrunk down slightly “I…I figured this would be a safe choice for work. You guys look awesome though!”

Law sighed. That made sense.

Cora quickly shooed them out the door and into the car, claiming that they were running late and had to go. It didn’t take them too long to get to the Baratie. Oddly enough, for a place downtown, it had a huge parking lot that was more or less already full

“Whoah, this is insanely busy for a Monday night, don’t you think?” commented Cora, getting out of the car

 

“This place is always like this.”

 

They all turned towards the sound of the voice and found Smoker, leaning against the wall smoking a cigar. He was dressed in a grey suit with a dark blue dress shirt and a tie that matched the blazer. Smoker looked beyond annoyed as he kept working on his cigar and Tashigi stood beside him, smiling.

“Good evening, Rosinante!”

Tashigi was wearing a knee length purple dress with a square neckline and short sleeves. The skirt of the dress poofed out a bit - it made her look considerably younger than she was. Law personally thought that the two of them looked like father and daughter.

“Ah Tashigi! You look really cute!” remarked Cora, walking up to the two

Tashigi turned bright red at the compliment, surprised “A-Ah thank you! You look great too! Are those your sons?”

“No Tashigi, he just picked up two teenage boys in suits on the side of the road” remarked Smoker, making Tashigi eep

Law smirked. _Oh. He liked this one_.

Cora laughed sheepishly “Yes, these are my boys. This is Law and this is Bepo!”

Tashigi smiled, sticking out his hand, offering it to both of them “Hello! I’m Tashigi and this is –“

“Call me Smoker.”

“Ah-This is Captain Smoker!”

Bepo shook her hand and Law shook his head, and then nodded at her. _Nope._

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah, Law doesn’t shake hand” pointed out Cora. Tashigi quickly removed her hand

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” exclaimed Tashigi, retracting her hand

“Did you guys go in yet?” asked Cora, looking at his two colleagues

“Nope. I’m going to finish smoking this before I have to go deal with that lunatic.” commented Smoker, looking exasperated at his almost finished cigar

“The mayor?” asked Cora, lifting a brow. Law smiled a bit – sounds like this night will be interesting

“Yeah…” started Tashigi, looking to the side “The mayor is…special.”

“There is no way that man got elected legally.” stated Smoker, putting out his cigar stub against the wall “Guess it’s time. C’mon.”

They all made their way inside of the Baratie. Law looked around shocked. _The place was gorgeous_. And it was completely packed! The restaurant had two levels and the second, upper level was a bit more isolated, so Law figured it was for private parties

 

“Hello! Welcome to the Baratie! Do you have a reservation?”

Law blinked, looking at the petite girl in front of him. Even though the girl was of small stature, something told him not to fuck with her.

“We’re with the Mayor’s party” replied Smoker, looking despaired. The girl chuckled

“The Mayor isn’t here yet, but I can show you to your seats” She grabbed a few menus and led them all to the upper level. Law’s jaw dropped.

The seating arrangement was – weird. It was a long table but in the middle, the chair that should be there was red velvet lounge chair.

“What the fuck is that” stated Smoker, pointing at the chair. Thank god someone said it.

“Apparently the mayor especially asked for that chair and had it sent over.” explained the girl, waving her hand dismissing it

Law stared at the girl, shocked, and then back at the chair – what kind of conceited son of a bitch brings his own fucking chair to a restaurant??

Smoker rolled his eyes, already looking beyond done and sat down in one of the chairs “Are you going to be one of our servers? I need a drink.”

The girl shook his head “Alas, no. Your two especially chosen servers will be here shortly!” and then she headed out

Law took his seat as far away as possible with Bepo sitting to his side and Cora on the other side of him. Tashigi sat across from Cora and Smoker besides Cora. Soon enough, two servers appeared, decked in black suits and white gloves carrying trays of glasses and water pitchers

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be your servers for tonight. If you need anything from us, please let us know. I am Sabo and this is Ace. We will be at your disposal all night.”

Ace smirked, bedroom eyes locking with the group, but especially the captain “For _whatever_ you might need.”

Law could see the colour draining from the Captain’s face – what was this? Tashigi stifled a laugh, putting her hand in front of the mouth.

“Oh- you’re Ace!” stated Cora, smiling brightly, looking beyond amused

Law smirked, maybe tonight will be more interesting then he thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! So slightly odd convo from Bepo’s part – but I figured if I heard that kind of story, I’d want more details myself! Also it was a way for Bepo to let Cora know that he knew about the story too - but they're fumbling around. And I wanted to show the openness they have a family! Also Law and Bepo’s suits were taken from the new year pin’s from the Mugiwara shop!


	12. –ACE- There’s a Secret Menu Just For You!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating a little early because tomorrow's going to be a busy day! Are you all excited to find out who the mayor is?

 

Ace got out of the car and waved goodbye to Thatch who then drove away with Izo.  He walked up to the Baratie main door and saw Koala and Sabo talking on the side of the restaurant. They both stopped talking and waved to Ace who jogged up to them

“Hey guys! Didn’t go in yet?”

Koala shook her head “Nope, we never worked here, so it would be weird if we just walked in”

“Ahhh makes sense, c’mon, let’s go inside”

 

Ace led Koala and Sabo to a side door and they quietly walked in. It led them to a small room behind the kitchen and Ace could hear the kitchen already bustling. He sighed – it always smelled so good at the Baratie

“Oh you’re here, good!”

Ace smiled at Sanji who was coming out of the kitchen in his white chef’s blouse. Sanji then smiled brightly

“OH! Is this Koala?! She’s such a beauty! I’m blessed to have such a vision in front of me!”

Koala lifted a brow, confused “What?”

Ace laughed, putting his arms around Sabo and Koala “Yep! This is Koala, so we’re ready to serve at this fine restaurant!”

 

“You asked Ace again?”

Ace turned around and saw Zeff behind him, looking grumpy. Ace smirked “Did you not want me?”

“Considering this is a supper for the mayor, you know as much as I do that we’d need you. But what about these two – can they hack it?” asked Zeff, eyeing Sabo and Koala

“Sabo and I grew up together in Grey Terminal.” explained Ace, gesturing to Sabo “And Koala can take him.”

Sabo and Koala looked at Ace confused, wondering where he was going with this. Zeff grunted in approval as he turned to look at Sanji

“Good choices, Eggplant.” Then Zeff gestured to a back room “C’mon, we’ll get you set up in your waiter’s uniforms. Little lady, I hope you don’t mind being a hostess but we need someone who can hold themselves up-front”

Koala nodded, smiling “I’m on it!”

Zeff then took out a uniform with a dress shirt and a black fitted vest and a full black skirt and handed it to Koala

“This should fit you.”

Koala took the outfit and turned around and went towards the bathroom to get changed. Zeff then handed two waiter uniforms to Sabo and Ace

“Now you boys will be handling the special guests exclusively. Give them whatever they want within reason and be ready to interfere with anything that happens. Your priority is the restaurant and the food.”

Sabo raised a brow again as he took his uniform and turned to Ace. Ace merely chuckled

“The Baratie is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – I’ll explain everything when we get dressed.”

Zeff handed Ace his uniform and nodded, turning away and going back to the kitchen.

Ace smirked; this was going to be fun.

 

Ace, Sabo and Koala quickly got dressed. Koala got a quick lesson about the seating schedule for the evening and her chores at the front. Ace and Sabo went to go set up the table for the event and Koala quickly went to join them, insisting she could help.

“Oh, by the way, he sent a chair over.”

The trio turned around to look at Sanji, who was carrying a red velvet lounge chair with Patty. Ace burst out laughing, shocked as he went to grab the chair with Sabo from the two of them

“He said he wants to be seated in the middle of the table” explained Sanji, looking fed up. Ace only laughed

“So, how many demands has he made so far?”

“Uurrgghh don’t even ask, the asshole kept calling and calling and urrgghh – he made us vacuum the carpet three times, using products he asked for, so that it smells exactly like he wants it to”

Ace laughed again, patting Sanji on the shoulder. Sanji then turned around and went back to the kitchen. Ace blinked, spotting Koala and Sabo playing with the lounge chair.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Checking the quality of this chair” explained Koala, smiling

Ace frowned, okay?

 

They quickly set up the table and Sabo and Ace went to hang out in the dressing station, checking where all the materials are and getting a quick rundown from Sanji about their jobs. But until their guests arrived – they didn’t have much to do so Sabo and Ace went to go sit in the back of the upper level.

“Do you work here often?” asked Sabo, leaning in his chair

“Umm, here and there. They pay under the table and it’s never dull work.” explained Ace, looking around

Sabo smirked “What are you looking for?”

“Umm…Marco tipped me off that this dinner was for the mayor to celebrate the new police officers?”

Sabo smiled brightly “Are you telling me that your crush is coming tonight?! Oooh how exciting!”

 

“What’s exciting?” they both looked down and saw Koala who was looking up at them

“Hey! Shouldn’t you be hostessing?!” asked Ace, clearly trying to deflect

“Ace’s crush is coming tonight!”

“TURNCOAT!”

“Oooh the police captain is coming tonight? How fun! I’m excited to see what Ace’s into”

“No! You have a big mouth Sabo!” cried Ace, turning red

“Holy shit, it’s happening!” replied Sabo, excited at Ace’s blushing

“Ohh, the famous full-body blush! I’m so blessed tonight” replied Koala, laughing

Ace wanted to die! Curse his friends! Ace shook his head, trying to make the blush go away.

“You can both shut up now!” replied Ace, hiding his face in his hands. But before anyone could say anything else, Sanji came up the stairs

“Zeff said he spotted the Captain and a few of the other guests outside, so get ready. Mayor’s nowhere in sight yet, but he’s usually late”

Koala went back to the hostess stand right away and Sabo and Ace went to the kitchen to grab a tray with a pitcher of water and glasses

“Ready?” asked Sabo, grinning

“I should have left you in the forest” mumbled Ace, grabbing his tray, only making Sabo laughed

“Alright, let’s do this!”

 

They waited on the side, watching the guests file in and sit down. After Koala left, they quickly made their way to the table

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be your servers for tonight. If you need anything from us, please let us know. I am Sabo and this is Ace. We will be at your disposal all night.”

Ace smirked, bedroom eyes locking with the group, but especially the captain “For _whatever_ you might need.”

The tall cop laughed, Rosinante was it? “Oh you’re Ace!”

Ace chuckled, putting a glass down in front of the man “I see my reputation precedes me”

Rosinante laughed “Bellemere told me about you”

Ace laughed at that, giving a glass to Bepo and Law “Only good things, I hope!”

Rosinante snorted “So far!”

Ace chuckled and his sight locked back on the Captain. The man looked nervous out of nowhere for a reason.

“Oh! Officer Tashigi! That dress looks really pretty on you!” noted Ace, pouring her a glass of water

“Why thank you, Ace! It was a present!” explained Tashigi smiling

“From who?” asked Smoker, suspicious

“Hina?” answered Tashigi, slightly confused at the Captain’s reaction

“ _Hina gave you a dress_?”

“Yes? She said she saw it in the store and thought it was perfect for me! Wasn’t that nice of her?” explained Tashigi, smiling

“…You better be careful, Tashigi.” muttered Smoker, taking a drink of his water

“Huh?!” cried out Tashigi, completely confused at what just happened. Ace swallowed his urge to laugh. Who the hell was this Hina?

“Hina? Like, _Black Cage Hina_?” asked Rosinante, taking a sip of water

“Oh yeah! I forgot that you were in the Marines as well! Yeah, that Hina” stated Tashigi

“You guys are friends with her? I always wanted to talk to her, but she’s kinda scary. I saw her use a few cadets as a chair once” explained Rosinante, causing Law and Bepo to look at him horrified

“The worst part, is those poor saps _probably asked her if they could be her chair_.” noted Smoker, looking slightly disgusted “I see men falling over stupid over her on a regular basis.”

Ace frowned slightly. He wasn’t sure what to make of what just happened. Because either it was great news because the Captain didn’t seem to be one of those men falling over this Hina stupid – but on the other hand, _it could be because he’s her boyfriend so that’s why he isn’t effected by any of this_?

“Boy.” started Smoker, gesturing to Ace. Ace hmphs, guess he was back to boy

“Yes, Captain?” asked Ace, smirking

“Give me glass of whiskey please, don’t care which, just make sure it’s strong.”

Ace nodded “Coming right up!” and headed towards the kitchen

“I’ll take the rest of your drink orders” offered Sabo, trying to not chuckle as Ace ran off

 

Ace turned into the kitchen, spotting Sanji. Sanji turned around, raising a brow

“Best whiskey?” asked Ace, pointing towards the liquor cellar

“First bottle on the right of the whiskeys” replied Sanji, working on a sauté sauce “Any food orders yet?”

“No, just drinks” replied Ace

“Okay, has he arrived yet?”

“Nope, not yet” answered Ace as he went into the liquor cellar, taking the indicated bottle and quickly fixing the Captain his drink. When he was about to deliver it, Sabo passed him, smirking

“Could you be flirting more with the Captain?”

Ace blinked, confused

“Huh?”

But Sabo was already gone, himself in the cellar. Ace shrugged, getting back to the table and giving the Captain his drink.

“Here you are”

“Thank you.” Smoker took a small sip and nodded “Good stuff.”

Ace was about to reply when suddenly the front door slammed open

 

“Ahhhh~! What a long day! Interrupted from my nap for a stupid dinner party.”

“You planned this, sir.”

“ _Are you contradicting me_?” asked the man, eyes narrowing. The other man shook head

“I would never!!”

“ _Good_.”

Ace watched as Koala went around the stand and smiled brightly at the Mayor and his party

“Mayor Eneru Kami! What an absolute pleasure to have you here tonight! May I lead you to your seat?” asked Koala, never breaking her massive smile

Eneru looked at her, and then cocked his head “Hmmm. Aren’t you a tiny thing, why I could squish you like a bug. Wouldn’t it be fun to try?”

Ace tensed up. This could get ugly fast!

Koala merely smiled “If you did that sir, who would bring you to your seat?”

Eneru blinked and then burst out laughing “YAHAHAHAHA! I like you! Alright little bug, bring me to my seat!”

Ace exhaled, _good_. Mayor Eneru was…something. Nobody has any idea where he came from – one day; he just took over as Mayor while the former one was shamed out of office. Eneru was one arrogant son of a bitch, but in Eneru’s defense, at least he was honest about how awful he was. He also had a great sense of style in Ace’s opinion – it’s bold to wear that much gold jewelry and to button up only one buttons of a dress shirt.

Koala led him to the table and Eneru quickly kicked off his sandals, revealing his golden toe rings and plopped down in his seat.

 

“Where’s the booze? What kind of service is this?” whined Eneru leaning back as his associates sat around him.

“Did he…just…” started Tashigi, looking scandalized at Eneru

“Hello Mayor Eneru! My name is Ace and I’ll be your server today with my brother Sabo over here!  Can I start you off with a drink?” cut in Ace, talking loudly to cover over Tashigi. Clearly this was the first time she ever dealt with Eneru

“Hmm, I’ll have apple cider. Didn’t this information get sent to you?” mused Eneru, looking annoyed

“It did, but I wanted to double check in case you changed your mind.” explained Ace, bowing slightly

Eneru chuckled, clearly amused “Go fetch my drink, little fox. You’re not fooling anyone.” Then he turned, looking at Sabo “You. Get me food for the table, I’m hungry and annoyed.”

Sabo also nodded, quickly catching up to Ace

 

“ _What the fuck?!”_

Ace started to laugh, preparing the Mayor’s drink as Sabo collected the fruit, vegetable and meat platters that had already been prepared by the kitchen

“He arrived, huh?” asked Zeff, looking at them from across the kitchen

“Yeah, like the piece of shit he is!” replied Ace, putting a tiny umbrella in the drink. Ace knew they amused the mayor “Called Koala a little bug and threatened to squash her – but she handled it like a boss.”

“How are you not surprised by any of this?” asked Sabo, shocked

Ace shrugged and smirked “They always call me in to deal with the Mayor. But just you wait; we’re in for one exciting night”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!! ENERU’S THE MAYOR! Clearly I’ve had this planned from the beginning! Haha!


	13. – LAW – Clearly You Were Raised in A Barn! (This Is Gross, So Gross)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you seemed to have been shocked at my choice of Mayor! But that’s what makes it fun, right? Also the idea of Law being a borderline germ freak is very inspired by Law in One Piece Party! (which is supper funny if you haven’t had a chance to read it)  
> ALSO! Bonus! I did a sketch of what Eneru’s wearing and posted it at the end of the chapter!

 

 

Law just stared at the mayor.

How was this abomination of a man even the mayor of a city?!

Law’s eyes shot down to Eneru’s bare feet and he wanted to throw up

_WHO THE HELL TOOK OFF THEIR SHOES AT THE DINNER TABLE AT A RESTORANT?!_

Not only that, _what was he even wearing?!_

He had on the weirdest patterned dress pants Law had even seen and so much gold jewellery?! And a bandana on his head?! Wasn’t this a nice place?!

Law’s eyes shifted to the left to meet with Bepo’s, who looked just as horrified, and then they both shifted their gaze towards Cora

_Who was just sipping his water as if he didn’t care?!_

Cora shifted slightly and took his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed out a message on his phone and set it down on Law’s lap, turning towards the Mayor and introducing himself and the two boys

Law blinked, looking down surprised at the phone

 

_KEEP ALL COMMENTS TO YOURSELF, LAW. I SWEAR TO GOD.  THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN DOFFY._

 

Law snorted, a smirk soon growing on his face. He did have a point there.  _But the feet thing was still super gross_.

 

Sabo and Ace soon returned with platters of food for everyone. Law quickly took a small plate and filled it up with things he knew that all three of them would enjoy. He set the plate down in front of himself, knowing that neither Bepo nor Cora would be shy to pick it out of the plate.

“Ace is being like, super flirty with the Captain” whispered Bepo, leaning close to Law as he took a grape off the plate.

Law lifted a brow. Now that Bepo mentioned it – whenever the Captain asked for anything of Ace, Ace would lean in real close, his voice would drop slightly and he would do bedroom eyes at the Captain. Wasn’t the man like, too old for him? But it was interesting to see, when he usually spotted Ace, the other seemed in control of his action but now, it was like Ace was almost throwing himself at the Captain. 

 

“And what would you like to eat?”

Law blinked, distracted from his thoughts and looked up at Sabo, who lifted a brow. Then Sabo frowned, pointing at Law

“Oh! I know you! You’re the guy who was sent in the hallway with Luffy today”

Law blinked slowly, then his eyes widen. _Shit!_ “Y-Yeah?”

Why was he suddenly scared of this guy?!

Sabo’s frown quickly turned into a warm smile “Sorry my brother’s such a handful, but he does mean well”

Law exhaled, feeling a little better. At least the guy wasn’t mad at him. Then he grabbed the menu he was given earlier and pointed at one of the items

“I’d like the pepper-honey cedar planked salmon please, and with the pilaf rice”

“Oooh, that sounds good! Put me down for one of those too!” exclaimed Bepo, Sabo nodded

“You got it! Two salmons coming right up – and to drink?”

“Ah, I’m good with water.” answered Law and then he turned towards Cora who had probably the biggest forced smile Law had even seen him with as Cora listened to the Mayor talk

 

“And then, you know that little natives tribe? What are they called again, oh yes, _the Shandians_ , anyways, they’re all mad at me right now because I took their land to build myself a giant gazebo and a pool to my house! And they keep threatening me as if I’m scared of a bunch of gnats!”

Law could feel the rage overwhelming him as he went to stand up to tell the Mayor off – but Cora put his hand over Law’s face and forced him back into his seat, giant smile still on Cora’s face.

Law fumed, sitting in his seat but saw that both Tashigi and Smoker looked horrified at the story. The Captain gritted his teeth

“ _You mean…you forced them out of their homes to build a pool and a gazebo_?!”

Eneru lifted a brow, looking at Smoker as if he wasn’t sure why he even asked that question.

“Yes? That’s exactly what I said? Were you not listening to me? How can you be a good chief of police if you don’t listen?”

“This is why we’ve had multiple complaints from the tribe!” replied Smoker, Law could swear he was seeing smoke coming out of his ears

“Well, they are big babies, I offered them jobs at my house and they refused and said that they were going to kill me, YAHAHAHA! I’d like to see them even try!”

Smoker quickly stood up; obviously furious “I’m going to have a smoke.” and stormed off before Tashigi could say anything, clearly getting ready to calm her Captain down. She sighed, looking a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

Eneru rolled his eyes “Some people just can’t handle it when little gnats complain – he should grow a thicker skin if he’s going to be the Police Chief of this town!” sing-songed Eneru, leaning back in his lounge chair sideways, his feet on the chair.

_That’s it!_

“I need some air.” announced Law, standing up and heading outside as well before Cora could stop him.

 

Law pushed the main doors open and turned the corner to see the Captain Smoking another cigar outside and somehow had another drink in his hand – when Law got closer, he could see that Ace was with him. Law paused, quietly backing up and hiding on the other side of the wall, listening in.

“Isn’t he a fucking prick?” asked Ace, smirking as he smoked his own cigarette against the wall

“I knew he was bad from everything I’ve heard of him, but holy shit” replied Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar

“Yeah, I’m surprised he’s still alive to be honest…well, not really. He’s an amazing fighter.” noted Ace

Smoker lifted a brow, looking at Ace “What? He is?”

Ace nodded “Yeah, he was well-known in the Underground before he became Mayor, he’s very fond of using very powerful Tasers, wouldn’t be surprised if he was packing some tonight.”

Smoker frowned, turning to directly face Ace, taking another drag of his cigar. He exhaled, blowing the smoke towards Ace “Brat. You listen and you listen good, I’m going to ask you a question and I’m expecting an honest answer.”

Ace smirked, leaning in closer “Oh yeah? What’s that, old man.”

“I was told that more or less every teenager in this town is in a gang – does that include you?”

Ace paused for a moment, leaning in towards the Captain, looking up at him with a proud smirk

“Yes. I’m a proud member of the Whitebeard gang.”

_Was he out of his mind?!_

Law stared at Ace shocked _– how nuts was he to just come out and just tell the fucking Chief of Police that he was in the biggest gang in the city_?!

“You fucking kidding me, brat?” snapped Smoker, clearly pissed. Ace pulled back and shrugged

“You told me to be honest with you, so I am.” Ace just waved his hand “I’d show you my tattoo but I’d wrinkle my shirt”

“So this whole crap you’re doing here is an act? What’s your game, boy? What are you trying to achieve by trying to cozy up with me?” snarled Smoker, clearly not amused. Ace chuckled, his voice low.

“There’s no act.” admitted Ace, leaning in again “I’m just…drawn to you, that’s all. Also you have nothing to worry about – I’m second division.”

Smoker paused, his expression softening, as if the threat was gone “Second division? _You?_ ”

“Hey!” cried out Ace, insulted “The fuck is that supposed to mean? Oh-!” he then shifted, looking past Smoker “Hey there Law! Came to escape the Mayor as well?”

 

Law winced – shit, he was spotted! Law coughed, walking towards the group

“Yeah…Guy’s a total wackjob”

Ace’s eyes narrowed as the smirk returned on his face “I know you heard everything. Don’t play dumb.”

Law froze. He wasn’t expecting Ace to be so open and confrontational about it.

“Ah…well.”

Ace shrugged again “Whatever, I’m not hiding it or anything. And Law already knew I was a Whitebeard.” Then he turned to the Captain, running his finger down Smoker’s lapel “You have nothing to worry about, Cap~tain.  I just like you, simple as that.”

Then Ace snuffed out his cigarette and smiled, turning around “Your food should be just about ready, so finish up and come back inside!”

And then Ace went back inside.

Smoker growled, frowning deeply as he watched Ace go back inside. Law felt his entire body tense up. The air was thick with tension and the silence was almost painful. Suddenly, the Captain turned and faced Law

“Tell me you’re not going to do something stupid like join another gang”

Law blinked; surprised at the question, then he shook his head “No. Not after all the work Cora did to get me out of one.”

Smoker lifted a brow “You still call him ‘Corazon’? Pretty sure you’re not supposed to call him by his code name.”

Law flinched, surprised it was brought up. His cheeks redden as he puffed them out, clearly pouting “I can’t help it. He’ll always be Cora to me.”

Smoker sighed, snuffing out his cigar against the wall “Guess it doesn’t matter. You can’t convince me that Doflamingo doesn’t know that you’re here anyways.”

Then the Captain turned around and went back inside.

Law quietly watched him go and frowned. Doflamingo definitely knew that they were here; there was no real doubt about it. Law felt so helpless though. If Doflamingo did show up – what could he possibly do? Law was a bare knuckle fighter at best.  He would use weapons like pipes and such when available, but it wasn’t enough. He had been pretty good with a sword though. He needed to learn a way to fight against Doflamingo and the associates if needed. He’ll have to think of something.

 

“Law? The food’s here!”

Law turned his head and saw Cora smiling sheepishly. Law sighed and smiled softly. He needed to protect Cora no matter what. If anyone was in danger here – it was him.  Law walked up to the door and frowned at Cora, clearly annoyed

“I know, I know, but it’s just for tonight, okay? We’ll eat and we’ll find a reason to bail.”

Law nodded again and Cora put his arm around Law’s shoulders and pulled him in close, nuzzling the top of Law’s head

“Soon soon, we’ll go home. And then I’ll never make you go to a supper with the Mayor again”

Law smiled, walking in with Cora as they returned to their seats, food already on their plates. Everyone had already started eating, the Mayor squawking away about whatever nonsense he was going on about now. The Captain tried a few times to talk about youth programs or something, but Law couldn’t really understand what was being said – but it was clear that the Mayor didn’t want to hear it and just kept talking about how he redecorated his entire office with carpet with actual gold trim.

“Hey Bepo”

Bepo stopped eating, turning towards Law

“Yeah?”

“Did you happen to see the club list?” asked Law, himself trying to remember if he saw it

“Yeah! It was in the hallway by the quad, so I looked it over while I was waiting for you – I actually took a picture, do you want to see?”

Law grinned “Yeah! How come you took a picture?”

Bepo chuckled, pulling out his phone and getting the picture out “In case you wanted to see it, also I’m kinda thinking of joining this Navigation club? It looks really cool and apparently Nami’s the president, I don’t know how since she’s a freshman, but she’s amazing in Geography, so it looks fun – also she’s really pretty!”

Law took the phone and zoomed in on the list, looking through the options and _bingo_.

“Saw a club you like?” asked Bepo, leaning in

“Yeah, this kendo club looks interesting. Know who runs it?” asked Law, trying to see if there was a name in the description

“No, but I know that Zoro’s in it and his dad apparently sponsors it, so it’s a really well funded club. You should do it Law! You’ve always wanted to do sword fighting! We could have duels! Kendo vs Karate!”

“Are you guys talking about swords?!”

Both Law and Bepo turned their heads, looking at Tashigi who was looking at them with bright eyes, across the table from Cora

“Swords?!” asked Cora, surprised. Smoker groaned, slapping his hand over his eyes

“And there she goes-“

“I love swords! What kind of swords? Are you looking into buying one or learning how to sword fight?” Law was super surprised at the enthusiasm

“Umm…I was thinking of joining the kendo club?”

“You are?! Seriously?!” quipped Cora, surprised

“Oooh that’s a great sport! Traditional Japanese sword fighting is actually what I’m specialized in! If you want any tips or tricks, let me know! Also when you’re ready to buy your equipment, I can take you to the best stores in town! I know I just moved here, but I looked them all up before I came here and checked them all out, and if you want to buy a particular sword, I’ll tell you what price you should expect and which ones are a total rip-off, also how to spot a counterfeited sword from an original and-“

“Wow! You sure know a lot about swords!” commented Cora, shocked

“You should see her house” replied Smoker, exasperated

“Swords are my passions! But katanas especially!”  declared Tashigi proudly

Smoker frowned, looking towards the mayor “I don’t even think he’s listening to us anymore”

“Was he ever listening to us?” quipped Law proudly, making the Captain snort

“But Law, you want to join a club?” asked Cora, smiling brightly – _he was too damn enthusiastic about things like this!_

“Ah, yeah, I was thinking of it yeah.” Law didn’t know why he felt so nervous telling Cora that, this was weird

“I’ll sign off on it no problem! Bepo you too! Clubs are good!” replied Cora, still smiling. Law sighed; at least that was a good sign.

 

“Little raccoon, I want more cider”

Sabo frowned, looking confused and turned to Ace and pointed to himself

“Am I-“

“Yep. _I’m a fox_ ”

But before Sabo could say anything, suddenly the front doors slammed open, revealing five men with their faces covered in ski masks and bandanas, holding guns

 

“PUT ‘EM UP, THIS IS A HOLD UP! We’ll be taking possession of this restaurant!”

Law’s eyes shot open shocked – shit like this was exactly what he feared. His head turned sideways, watching as Cora, Tashigi and Smoker started to get up, reading to interfere

“All of you sit down.” ordered Eneru, leaning back on his lounge chair “This isn’t for you to handle. There’s a reason I picked this particular restaurant.”

They all sat back down, turning towards the mayor, confused as Eneru popped a piece of apple in his mouth

“Just sit back and watch the show.”

 

Law turned, watching as Koala, stood firm, grabbing a few menus and smiled brightly

“Hello sirs, do you have a reservation?”

The man in the front took his gun and aimed it right at Koala

“This isn’t a game, little girl!”

_What the fuck was she doing?!_

“I don’t like being threatened.” stated Koala sing-songly with a bright smile,  before she quickly threw the menus in the guy’s face and ducked down quickly, and landed a punch right in the man’s jaw, throwing him on the ground

As that was happening, Law spotted Sabo and Ace run past the table and jumped down to the main level. Within seconds, they had made their way to the other attackers and took them down one by one. Everyone at his table stared in shock, minus the Mayor and his entourage who merely laughed and cheered. When Law looked down, he noticed that all the other restaurant patrons were also cheering along and enjoying the fight.  Was this a staged show?!

One of the attackers managed to break free and ran up the stairs to the second level, everyone got up, getting ready to interfere

“Sit. _Down._ ” ordered Eneru once more but before anyone had a chance to – someone came from the back and kicked the attacker right in the throat, taking him down

“I’m sorry, this is a private party”

Law blinked, surprised to see Sanji standing there in a chef’s uniform, holding plates of dessert and holy shit, _how flexible was his leg?!._ Sanji quickly served the desserts to everyone who watched stunned, again, minus the Mayor and his entourage and then Sanji went back to the attacker and kicked him in the ribs

“You are not welcomed here. Please make your way out.”

Law looked back down and saw Koala open the door as Sabo and Ace threw all the others out. Ace came up the stairs and grabbed the last one – throwing down the staircase for Sabo to collect at the bottom and threw them out too

“W-What in blue blazes is happening here?!” hollered Smoker, furious at the scene

“The Baratie gets held up often.” started Sanji “A lot of gangs want to use it for a headquarter or they want to hold it up due to the fact that we get very wealthy patrons.”

“You never mentioned that!” screamed Smoker at the Mayor “We could have brought back-up! Security! Anything!”

Eneru shrugged “Why? All the waiters and cooks here are trained fighters.”

Law blinked, _holy shit_!  It all made sense now! Sabo and Ace were asked to be servers tonight _because of their fighting abilit_ ies!

“ _And they just threw them outside_?!” continued Smoker, trying to piece everything together

“Oh, Bellemere is here” stated Cora, waving at Bellemere who was at the main door, collecting the men thrown outside, who was waving back to Cora

“That’s why I told you not to worry. But isn’t the little fox a magnificent fighter? I’m very pleased with the little bug and the little raccoon as well. This was a very entertaining evening! YAHAHAHA!” declared Eneru, laughing

Smoker stared shocked and then groaned; massaging his temple “I need a drink.”

Ace put a full glass of whiskey in front of the Captain, smirking “I figured you’d need this.”

 

“Little fox! You’re sure you don’t want a job with me, I’m sure we could find something for you to do”

“No thank you, Mayor Eneru! I’m loyal to Pops and I’ve told you that before. If you want me, you’re going to have to convince him~!”

Eneru snorted, taking the glass of cider that Sabo was giving him

“I’m not that foolish.”

Then he turned towards Sabo

“And you, little raccoon! I was very impressed! Where did you learn to fight?”

“Ace and I grew up together, so we learned to fight together.” explained Sabo, refilling everyone’s drinks

“Aren’t little slum boys the best” started Eneru, grinning “The little bug as well, I was surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so incredibly violent. I like her.”

Eneru quickly downed his drink and stood up

“Alright, that’s enough fun for one night” he then put back his sandals “Satori, you handle the bill, and I’ll be waiting in the car”

And Eneru just walked out with his associates

The rest of the table just sat there, surprised

“ _What a fucking jackass_ ” blurted out Smoker, his face extremely red as he pounded a fist into the table “This entire fucking night was a farce”

“I wouldn’t take it to heart if I was you, Captain” started Sanji, helping Ace and Sabo gather up the plates “He’s always like this with his guests. He also called this morning at like 5am to make the reservation”

Tashigi blinked, looking at Sanji “Aren’t you young to be one of the cooks?”

“I’m actually the sous-che- Wow! You’re a beautiful woman!” cooed Sanji “I’m so happy I gave you one of my delicious deserts!”

“Wait, you made this?” asked Tashigi, pointing to her mostly eaten dessert “It’s amazing!”

Sanji nodded, beaming with pride “I had a hand in all of your meals, actually! If I wasn’t working on the meat, I was working on the sides, or the sauces, etcetera! I’m very happy you enjoyed your meal”

“It was the only thing I enjoyed of this entire night.” admitted Smoker, lifting his glass of whiskey to toast Sanji “Honestly, who would have thought that Red Leg Zeff would open up such a nice restaurant.”

 

Sanji froze, looking at the Captain stunned. Ace looking at him surprised as well.

“R-Red Leg Zeff? As in the former gang leader?! I thought he disappeared!” exclaimed Tashigi, shocked

“He did. He lost his leg in an accident and wound up here and opened a restaurant. Heard he adopted a young boy, I’m assuming it’s you” stated Smoker, taking a sip of his whiskey

Sanji snorted “You apparently know a lot.”

“I’m the chief of police, it’s my job. And don’t worry, Zeff’s crimes were rather minor and I feel like losing a leg is enough punishment for any crimes he would have committed. As far as I’m concerned, he’s done his time.”  explained Smoker, leaning back in his seat “Also, I recognized your fighting style when you kicked the shit out of that guy. That was Zeff’s technique all over.”

Sanji smirked “I do my best” and walked away with the dishes, Sabo and Ace following them

 

Cora cleared his throat and stood up “I think we’re going to go. The boys both have school in the morning”

Law sighed in relief, thankful for Cora giving them the opening to leave

“That’s fine. I expect you at the station at 8am sharp tomorrow, Trafalgar.” Stated Smoker “It was nice to meet both your boys.”

Tashigi nodded, smiling brightly “It really was! I can see why Rosinante is so fond of you boys!”

Cora beamed, smiling proudly. It always made Law feel funny when Cora did that.

“Mayor aside and … the freaky hold up, I actually had a great night with you guys. I’m very happy to be working with you both.”

Both Law and Bepo stood up, nodding to both Smoker and Tashigi

“Thank you for having us tonight” started Law

“It was very nice to meet you too!” finished Bepo, smiling

 

 

All three of them filed out of the restaurant, nodding and thanking Sabo and Ace on their way out and quickly made their way to the car.

They got home soon enough and Cora let out a loud sound of relief the minute he opened door, kicking off his shoes and threw his blazer on the recliner in the living room

“Uuurrggh what a long day!” exclaimed Cora, taking off his tie and quickly getting undressed in the living room

“What’s with you and stripping in the living room?” asked Law, chuckling as he took off his own blazer

“It’s my house, I do what I want!” stated Cora, gathering up his clothes, now that he was in his boxers and socks and making his way up the stairs

Bepo and Law laughed, following him up the stairs to make sure that Cora didn’t slip. Thankfully he didn’t but he did run into the bannister as he turned the corner.

Law went to his room and quickly took his suit off and threw it in the dirty clothes hamper. He turned and looked at the clock, seeing that it was already 9:30.

In his boxers, Law opened a drawer and pulled out a yellow t-shirt with a design he created himself with a giant smiling face on it and went to his schoolbag, pulling out the student guidebook. Law took the book and sat on his bed, flipping through the book to get to the club section. Apparently clubs started up tomorrow and that to sign up you just needed to speak to the advisor of the club or its president.  Law frowned, lifting a brow – he had never heard of Mr Brook Yomi? Guess he’ll need to find him tomorrow to join the kendo club.

“Are you looking up club information?” asked Bepo as he walked into the room. Law looked up at Bepo, seeing that he changed into his boxers and just a t-shirt too. Bepo came around the bed and laid down, Law leaned back and reclined himself on Bepo

“Yeah, have you heard of Mr Brook Yomi?” asked Law, flipping through the guidebook, looking for a teacher’s directory

“The music teacher? He was introduced at the assembly.” pointed out Bepo, closing his eyes

“Wait – the guy with the ‘fro?”

“Yeah! That’s him!”

 

“Hey, how are you two doing?” asked Cora, leaning on the door frame

“Good, we’re just looking up clubs and such” explained Bepo

“Oh yeah? What are you thinking of joining, the Karate club?” asked Cora, walking into the room

“Naw, geography! I’d feel like I’d be cheating on my Sensei if I joined the school’s karate club!”

“Urgh, why are you to tall” asked Law, poking Cora in his knees as they came up to Law’s face, making Cora laugh as he took the guidebook

“Because I forgot to stop!” Cora looked through the list of clubs “So kendo, huh?”

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to learn more than just the basics, but yanno with everything that happened-“

“No, makes sense, and we didn’t really have any swordfighters except for Diamante-“

“I hated that douche”

“And you hated that douche.”

“I think you should do it!” exclaimed Cora, smiling happily “This is cool, your first high school club”

“You seem more excited about this than we are” noted Law, Cora only chuckled

“I guess I worry about you guys more than I let on, so it’s nice to hear about you guys settling and making friends. Like that Luffy guy, he seemed nice!”

Law snorted “You know our servers tonight?”

“Ace and Sabo?”

“Yeah, those are Luffy’s older brothers.”

Cora blinked, and then his jaw dropped

“EH?! But – what?!”

Law started laughing and Bepo did too. Core sighed, handing Law back his guidebook

“Alright, time for bed, you’d had a long day – oh! Before I leave, Law, your punishment for laughing in class”

Law frowned, glaring at Cora “Which is your fault.”

“HEY!” cried out Cora, offended “I didn’t name myself that! It wasn’t my decision!”

Then Cora cleared his throat

“ _As I said_ , your punishment is this; you have to read the entire book over and over again until you stop laughing when you see my name and at whatever dumb shit that horse does!”

Law blinked – that was actually a pretty good idea. If he knew the book well enough, he wouldn’t be caught off guard or react to it anymore because he’d be used to seeing it

“Alright, deal.” Then Law paused “You know, it’s weirdly symbolic too. A man called Donquixote abuses someone called Rosinante for his own gain.”

Cora blinked, surprised, but then he frowned deeply, pointing to Law “Go to bed!”

“I’m already in bed” replied Law, smirking, making Cora frown more, and he threw his arms in the air and stood in a bear stance

“I’m going to smush you and that smart mouth of yours!”

 Law laughed “I dare you!”

Cora growled and threw himself on both boys, making them burst out laughing, once the laughing subsided they all just laid in their piles quietly before Cora spoke up

“Was your first day of school okay? Detention aside?”

“Yeah! Law finally got to meet Sashi and Penguin!” stated Bepo happily. Law couldn’t help but smile at that, it was nice to finally hang out with them

“Oh yeah? I’m glad, they can come over anytime, okay?” replied Cora, shifting to hug them both the best he could “Law?”

“Yeah, it was…eventful.” Then he paused, closing his eyes “But it was a good day.”

“Good” then Cora stood up, smiling at both boys “Now time for bed, okay? You have school tomorrow.”

Law frowned, he wanted to ask Cora about his day but wasn’t sure how

“What about you? Have a good first day?” asked Bepo . _Thank you, Bepo_!

Cora grinned “Yeah! It was great! I’m lucky; everyone so far seems really friendly so far!”

Law smiled, relieved

“Alright! Enough chit-chat! Sleep for real!”

“It’s only 10 though”

“Growing boys need at least 8 hours!”

“So we can grow taller than you.” replied Law, smirking

“You don’t want that. The world is not made for the very tall, believe me. It is not made for us at all.” replied Cora, looking discouraged but then he smiled, making his way to the door “Alright, goodnight boys. Love you both”

“Goodnight Cora! Love you too!”

Cora looked at the boys one more time and then turned to leave the room after turning off the light, running into the doorframe. He swore slightly, walking out of the room and Law could hear Cora going into his own room, but leaving the door open.  Law shifted off Bepo and turned to look at the other

“You’re staying here?”

Bepo nodded, shifting to pull back the comforter so that they can both slide under the blanket

“Sure! I don’t feel like going back to my room anyways.”

Law was thankful that Bepo had no issues with this arrangement. Law hated sleeping alone and usually had nightmares when he did, so either Bepo slept in his bed, he slept in Bepo’s or he’d sneak into Cora’s bed. Either way, both Cora and Bepo gave him this small gesture which was really appreciated.  Law also knew that Cora left his door open so that Law or Bepo never felt unwelcomed in his room.

Soon enough both boys were well under their blankets and Bepo soon fell asleep. Law stared at the ceiling for a while, his mind buzzing. He did have a good day now that he thought about it. Law closed his eyes and his thoughts went towards Luffy and his bright smile and he felt his heart skip a beat as he lulled to sleep.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AANNND WE ARE DONE LAW’S DAY! The next chapter will finished Ace’s day and then time will start skipping left and right! I hope you’ve enjoyed this all so far – we’ll be meeting more people in the coming chapters!


	14. – ACE – This Is Like A Bad Romcom But With More Fights!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY! Final chapter for this day! Wow, it’s been a ride!   
> YES A LOT OF DIALOGUE REPEATS ITSELF! But I wanted to show how Ace was thinking during the scene!
> 
> Side Pairings in this chapter are 
> 
> Sabo x Koala  
> Slight Past!Ace x Sabo

 

 

 

“Ace! You’re being such a shameless hussy!”

Ace blinked, turning towards Sabo as he handed the order slips to the kitchen staff

“Huh?”

“Oh come on! You’re practically throwing yourself on the Captain!” explained Sabo, shocked

“I am?” stated Ace, shocked. Was he throwing himself at the Captain? _Maybe_ he was giving him a little bit more attention than everyone else but he wasn’t _throwing himself on the Captain_! …Was he?

“Wait…you’re not realizing you’re doing this, are you?” asked Sabo, walking up to Ace “Ace, listen to me, you’re like, giving him bedroom eyes, making your voice all sexy, moving in closer to him than anyone else”

Ace felt all the colour drain from his face _. Holy shit, that was humiliating_!

“Uh…I’m not looking too much like an idiot, am I?” asked Ace nervously, fuck he felt dumb

“Umm…actually Ace…” started Sabo, before Koala popped up beside him

“Holy shit you’re being so freaking hot with the Captain, Ace!”

“Yes that.” finished Sabo, pointing at Koala

 

Ace stared a bit stunned. This wasn’t the first time someone told him he was being really sexy or seductive and charming but it wasn’t something he really controlled either – it just, kinda flowed out of him. He followed how he felt and acted accordingly. No wonder most of the school thought he was a giant slut.

“H-Huh. Well, at least I’m not being embarrassing.” replied Ace, frowning. Then he looked up towards the main doors

“Oh! He’s going outside”

Sabo gave him a slight push towards the kitchen’s back door “Go! Take a small break!”

“But I-“

“Here, take this”

Ace turned to see Sanji passing a cigarette to him through the kitchen window

“And bring him another drink outside.” Instructed Sanji as Ace took the cigarette “It’ll make him happier to see you.”

“Also –“ started Koala, walking up to Ace and undoing the top buttons of his dress shirt and fixing Ace’s hair a little “There!”

Ace smiled brightly, he really had good friends! 

“Now go! He won’t be out there forever!”

 

Ace went out the back door and turned his head, seeing the Captain lighting up a cigar as he leaned against the wall. ‘ _Fuck I’d do anything for that mouth to be on mine’_ mused Ace, walking up to him

“Can you spare a light?” asked Ace, holding out the cigarette. Ace wasn’t usually a smoker, but he’ll make an exception here

The Captain grunted, handing the lighter over to Ace “You’re too young to smoke that.”

“Ah ah, too young to _buy_ it” corrected Ace, chuckling, he handed over the drink to the Captain who took it confused as he took the lighter “I brought you this, figured you’d need it”

Smoker snorted, taking a sip “No fucking kidding”

Ace quickly lit his cigarette and handed the lighter back to Smoker and leaned against the wall besides him

“Isn’t he a fucking prick?”

“I knew he was bad from everything I’ve heard of him, but holy shit” replied Smoker, taking another drag of his cigar. Ace watched mesmerised as the smoke was soon after blown out of Smoker’s mouth

“Yeah, I’m surprised he’s still alive to be honest…well, not really. He’s an amazing fighter.” noted Ace. He’d seen the mayor take out a few people single handled

Smoker lifted a brow, looking at Ace “What? He is?”

 “Yeah, he was well-known in the Underground before he became Mayor, he’s very fond of using very powerful Tasers, wouldn’t be surprised if he was packing some tonight.”

When the Mayor was first appointed, they had gotten the full low-down from Marco. The Mayor was a man who wasn’t afraid to leave bodies behind

Smoker frowned, turning to directly face Ace, taking another drag of his cigar. He exhaled, blowing the smoke towards Ace “Brat. You listen and you listen good, I’m going to ask you a question and I’m expecting an honest answer.”

Ace felt a thrill run through his body. Holy fuck, pray that he never gets arrested by the Captain because he was going to just start taking off his clothes. He smirked, leaning in close to the man

“Oh yeah? What’s that, old man.”  _If I’m the brat – you’re the old man_

“I was told that more or less every teenager in this town is in a gang – does that include you?”

Ace paused for a moment.  _Oh this is what he wanted_. Izo’s earlier words sounded in his head – _he needed to be honest_.

So Ace leaned in towards the Captain, looking up at him with a proud smirk

“Yes. I’m a proud member of the Whitebeard gang.”

_The cards were now on the table._

 “You fucking kidding me, brat?”

_Whoah, abort!_ Ace pulled back slightly

 “You told me to be honest with you, so I am.” Ace just waved his hand “I’d show you my tattoo but I’d wrinkle my shirt”

“So this whole crap you’re doing here is an act? What’s your game, boy? What are you trying to achieve by trying to cozy up with me?”

_Man, the Captain sure was expecting a lot out of him_

“There’s no act.” admitted Ace

_There really wasn’t_! Ace knew that this was probably the worst idea in the world, but he couldn’t help himself!

“I’m just…drawn to you, that’s all. Also you have nothing to worry about – I’m second division.”

“Second division? _You_?”

WHOAH waitaminute!! _What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!_

“Hey!” cried out Ace “The fuck is that supposed to mean? Oh-!”

Was someone listening? Well look at that – Law.

“Hey there Law! Came to escape the Mayor as well?”

Law coughed, walking towards the group

“Yeah…Guy’s a total wackjob”

_Who the fuck was he kidding?_ Ace wasn’t dumb; he knew the kid had been there for a while! No idea how long, but probably long enough

 “I know you heard everything. Don’t play dumb.”

 

 “Ah…well.”

_Bingo._

 “Whatever, I’m not hiding it or anything. And Law already knew I was a Whitebeard.” Then he turned to the Captain, running his finger down Smoker’s lapel just needing to touch him. God he looked good in that suit. Ace really wanted to take him out of it.

“You have nothing to worry about, Cap~tain.  I just like you, simple as that.”

Then Ace snuffed out his cigarette and smiled, turning around “Your food should be just about ready, so finish up and come back inside!”

 

The minute Ace was inside; his face turned a dark red. ‘ _Oh my god!! I told the Captain I liked him!’_

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you told him you liked him!” declared Sabo, a huge smile on his face. _Oh god, Sabo is forever going to make fun of him!!_

“You were listening?!” asked Ace, shocked

“Yep! There’s a window back there, we cracked it open!”

“We?” asked Ace, frowning

“Me, Koala and Sanji!” explained Sabo, grinning

“And they call me shameless” commented Sanji from the kitchen snickering

“OI!” snapped Ace, face still red. Sabo merely laughed

“You did great though! Anyone who doesn’t know you very well probably thought you were totally in control of that conversation, it was really hot, I swear!”

“UUuuurrgghhhaaaahhhhh!” cried out Ace, running his hands through his hair violently

“Seriously! Ace, listen to me! There’s just something about you that makes whatever you do really sexy and it’s not forced, don’t worry, you didn’t look lame at all!” explained Sabo, Ace appreciated him trying to comfort him – _but what if the Captain thought he was cheap now_?!

“Food’s up!” cried Patty from the kitchen as all the plates started piling up by the window. Ace sighed, grabbing a few orders

“Way to grab the Captain’s first!” teased Sabo, laughing, Ace flipped him off

 

They served everyone their food and carried on when suddenly five armed robbers walked in

“You kidding me?” asked Sabo, despaired. Ace laughed

“I told you! I told you this happened a lot. Oh man, they’re dealing with Koala first”

Sabo and Ace watched the exchange between Koala and the robber – waiting for their cue. The moment Koala’s leg rose into a high kick, both Sabo and Ace grabbed their serving trays and jumped down to the main level

If there was something that Ace loved – _is that he loved a good fight_. He loved the rush and the thrill of hearing bones crack when he landed a hit, loved overpowering his adversary and loved coming out victoriously. This is why he was perfect for the Second Division.  Second Division’s job is not infiltration or information gathering – it’s for clean-up and intimidation. Ace had beaten more information out of people than anyone other of the commanders because he _was good at it_. Also people talk fast when your fist is on fire.

The fight soon ended with Sanji kicking the last robber in the throat but Ace didn’t miss the look of utter shock in the Captain’s face. Ace couldn’t help the smirk growing on his face

‘ _Teach you to underestimate me, Captain’_  

“You guys wanna help me take the trash out?” asked Koala, not even fazed by the fight at all. Ace couldn’t help but smile; he totally understood why Sabo was in love with her.

“Have the cops been called?” asked Sabo, picking up the first unconscious guy and throwing him on the sidewalk

“Yep! Should be here any second” replied Koala, holding the door open as both Sabo and Ace started throwing the robbers outside

 

“Well look it here! Didn’t know you were serving tonight!”

Ace smiled as officer Bellemere walked in. Ace loved this woman. She was tough as nails but had a heart of gold. Honestly he had avoided her like the plague before he got to know her because he knew he couldn’t charm his way out of anything with her – but once Luffy became friends with her daughter Nami, he was forced to get to know Bellemere and was pleasantly surprised! She was very warm and kind and sympathetic to his and Luffy’s situation. She also understood why it was so important for her to not notify social services of their living conditions. Ace could handle it – granted Bellemere didn’t like the fact that Ace, who himself was a minor, was basically raising another minor, but she understood why it was important that they stayed together.

“So, heard you schmoozing to the captain”

Ace blinked, looking at Bellemere who had a proud smirk on her face. Ace snorted

“I have _no_ idea what you’re talking about! I’m not schmoozing!”

“He’s pathetically flirting” quipped Koala from the hostess stand, snickering

“O-Oi!” Ace turned completely red, mortified

Bellemere snorted, trying to hide her laugh “Oh man”

“You all need to shut up!” snapped Ace, running off the kitchen, hearing them all laugh behind him.

Ace quickly made his way to the kitchen and absentmindedly started to prepare a drink.

“Bunch of fucking dicks” muttered Ace, working away at his drink. He blinked, looking down _. Aww fuck!_ He just made another glass of Whiskey! 

Ace sighed, taking the glass and bringing it to the table – he might as well now that he made it

 

As Ace walked up the table, he heard the Captain groan and state “I need a drink.”

_Holy shit this is so perfect!_

Ace put a full glass of whiskey in front of the Captain, smirking “I figured you’d need this.”

Smoker looked at the drink surprised and at the same time – happily. Then he turned to look at Ace, his face clearly in awe that Ace seemed to know exactly what he wanted. A second later, the Captain looked like he wanted to ask Ace something but before he could – the Mayor cut in

“Little fox! You’re sure you don’t want a job with me, I’m sure we could find something for you to do”

Ace had to force himself to keep smiling. There was no way in fucking hell he would ever work for that lunatic!

“No thank you, Mayor Eneru! I’m loyal to Pops and I’ve told you that before. If you want me, you’re going to have to convince him~!”

Eneru snorted, taking the glass of cider that Sabo was giving him

“I’m not that foolish.”

_Guess he wasn’t that big of an idiot._

Then he turned towards Sabo

“And you, little raccoon! I was very impressed! Where did you learn to fight?”

Ace frowned sharply. He wasn’t a fan of the nickname Eneru gave Sabo. Sabo was a bit sensitive about his burn marks. Thankfully, Ace didn’t think Sabo caught on.

“Ace and I grew up together, so we learned to fight together.” explained Sabo, refilling everyone’s drinks

“Aren’t little slum boys the best” started Eneru, grinning

_Ew._

 “The little bug as well, I was surprised, I didn’t expect her to be so incredibly violent. I like her.”

_Here’s to hoping Koala never heard that._

Eneru quickly downed his drink and stood up

“Alright, that’s enough fun for one night” he then put back his sandals “Satori, you handle the bill, and I’ll be waiting in the car” and then he just walked out

 

Ace rolled his eyes. Glad to see the mayor was a rude asshole as usual

“ _What a fucking jackass_ ” blurted out Smoker, his face extremely red as he pounded a fist into the table “This entire fucking night was a farce”

Ace paused as he started to clear out the table. He wasn’t expecting the Captain to be that open about his dislike of the Mayor.

“I wouldn’t take it to heart if I was you, Captain” started Sanji, as he helped Ace and Sabo clear the plates – Koala coming in with a cart for the dishes “He’s always like this with his guests. He also called this morning at like 5am to make the reservation”

Ace’s sighed, putting the plates away and quietly letting the conversation float around him as he kept working on emptying the table – until the Captain spoke

 “It was the only thing I enjoyed of this entire night.” admitted Smoker, lifting his glass of whiskey to toast Sanji “Honestly, who would of thought that Red Leg Zeff would open up such a nice restaurant.”

_WHAT?!_ Ace turned to look at the Captain shocked. How did he figure that out? _Nobody figured that out_! Either you knew because you knew Zeff or someone told you! Nobody _figured_ it out!

 “R-Red Leg Zeff? As in the former gang leader?! I thought he disappeared!” exclaimed Tashigi, shocked

“He did. He lost his leg in an accident and wound up here and opened a restaurant. Heard he adopted a young boy, I’m assuming it’s you” stated Smoker, taking a sip of his whiskey

“You apparently know a lot.”

Ace at that moment had to commend Sanji on not striking the Captain here and there – Sanji was a lot like him and Luffy. They both had important things to hide and they weren’t going to let anyone tear their lives apart because they knew too much.

“I’m the chief of police, it’s my job. And don’t worry, Zeff’s crimes were rather minor and I feel like losing a leg is enough punishment for any crimes he would have committed. As far as I’m concerned, he’s done his time.”  explained Smoker, leaning back in his seat “Also, I recognized your fighting style when you kicked the shit out of that guy. That was Zeff’s technique all over.”

 

Ace exhaled. Okay, that’s good. He then turned and wheeled away the cart of dishes with Sabo, Sanji quickly following suit. Once they got in the back, Sanji quickly bolted into Zeff’s office, probably to tell him that the Captain was aware of who he was.

“That Captain of yours…” trailed off Sabo, looking at Ace worriedly as they gave the cart to the dishwashers. Ace knew exactly what he meant. _He knew too much about too much_. How was this even possible?

“Hey, did Dragon know anything?” asked Ace as they walked back to the dressing area.

“Hmm, not much. But he said that Ivankov said that the Captain looked familiar but couldn’t quite remember why. But Dragon said that he’s convinced that Smoker isn’t his birth family name. That it’s a name he adopted when he entered the military academy at 14, since it’s his mother’s maiden name and there’s no record of a ‘Chase Smoker’ before that.” explained Sabo, looking towards the back door as he watched Koala go outside

 

“Hi! I just wanted to thank the two of you for tonight, you guys were great”

Sabo and Ace blinked, looking towards the voice and then up. _Holy shit_! Ace knew the Donquixote brothers were extremely tall – and you could tell when he was seated, but seeing Rosinante Donquixote standing in front of you was on intimidating experience! Ace could only imagine how it was with the clown makeup and the giant feather coat

“Ah, it’s no problem” started Sabo, smiling “I hope you all enjoyed dinner”

“Yeah it was great!” stated Bepo, grinning. Ace noted that Law stayed quiet – he was probably exhausted at this point.

“We’ll see you guys at school tomorrow” stated Ace, and then he looked up to Cora “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr.Trafalgar! I hope my little brother and your sons continue to get along.”

Sabo nodded, looking at Law “And if he causes any trouble, feel free to let us know!”

Ace couldn’t help but smile when he caught the small blush and the small smile on Law’s face, who quickly shook his head and frowned

“Noted.”

“Alright, we’ll be going, get home safe!” stated Cora as he left with the two others.

 

“C’mon, let’s go outside” suggested Ace, making Sabo grin as they both walked out – only to meet Koala already there on her cell

“Did all the info patch through okay?” asked Koala, waving at Sabo and Ace as they walked out. _What?_

“Talking to Hack?” asked Sabo, stretching his arms

“Yeah, he said he got everything, a-okay!” said Koala with a big smile on her face, doing the okay sign with her hand

“Okay, we’ll just need to remove it all before they pack up the chair” said Sabo, stretching a bit to the side

Ace frowned sharply “You bugged his lounge chair, didn’t you?”

Koala and Sabo grinned brightly “Did you honestly think we’d miss this chance?”

Ace laughed “No, not at all!” Then Sabo frowned

“Ace. Why did he call me a ‘raccoon’?”

Ace paused, looking down, then sighed, closing his eyes and circled his own left eye with his finger. He could feel Sabo getting pissed without even seeing him

“THAT FUCKING _ASSHOLE_!” cried out Sabo, punching the wall, making a hole.

Ace sighed, patting Sabo on the back

“Guy’s a massive dick, don’t sweat it. C’mon, let’s get paid and get out of here”

 

When they went back inside, Ace saw that everyone had left the Mayor’s table. Ace sighed; he did want to see the Captain before he left. Then he blinked, spotting something on the table at the Captain’s seat. Ace briskly ran up to the table and looked at what seemed to be a tiny envelope with the Police department’s seal on it. He opened the envelope and smiled brightly as he saw what was inside

“Guys! They cops left us like, 100$ tip _each_!” Ace frowned, noticing a note inside, he pulled it out and read it out loud

“This is for you because I was told that the Mayor doesn’t tip. Goa City Police Department” Ace could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. He wasn’t dumb, they probably all chipped in, but it still made him happy that they thought of this.

“Aww, that’s kinda of really nice of them” remarked Sabo as he pulled the equipment off the lounge chair and handed it to Koala who stuck it down her shirt.

“I have your money” stated Sanji as he walked up to the ground and handed them all a small envelope with the nights wages “Thank you again for doing this last minute, guys – especially you Koala! Feel free to come back anytime! I’ll make you the most delicious meal you’ve ever had!”

Koala merely giggled, taking the envelope and sticking it also down her shirt. Ace frowned – how convenient that has to be!

 ‘ _Shit, think of all the snacks I could put in there_!’

Ace took his money and added the tip as well. He smiled, relieved. Winter was coming up and Luffy really needed a new winter coat, this was going to help a lot. Suddenly another envelope was stacked over his own – Ace blinked, surprised

“Here. I know you’re using that money for Luffy, so I want to pay my share as well.” stated Sabo, grinning. Ace sputtered, taking Sabo envelope and handing it back over

“Dude, no.”

Sabo put his hand up, refusing it

“This isn’t up for debate, Ace! You’re not the only one that has to take care of Luffy and it’s the least I can do since I can’t stay with you guys anymore! Take my damn money or I’ll shove it down your pants!”

Ace sighed and frowned, putting the two envelopes together. He knew he wasn’t going to win this and since it was _Sabo_ giving the money, he knew he could accept it.

“Alright Mom and Dad, if you’re done fighting over who loves Luffy more, how about we get changed and get out of here? I have a 9am class and I would like to sleep before it begins” teased Koala, pulling on both of their shirts.

Ace blinked, looking at his watch – it was 10pm. If he started walking, he’d probably get home around 12pm and if all goes well, hopefully he’ll be in bed 1am. It would be nice to grab at least a good 4 hours of sleep.

All three of them quickly got changed and thanked Zeff for the night and headed out. But not before though Sanji handed them prepared meals – saying that they should use them for their lunches tomorrow and that he had made an extra one for Luffy. Ace smiled – Luffy really had great friends!

They stepped out of the Barratie. The restaurant would stay open for another two hours but their job was done. After 9pm, they didn’t take any more customers, so Koala wasn’t needed as a hostess either.

 

“About time.”

Ace jumped, turning to look at the Captain who was leaning on the corner, smoking another cigar.

“Can I help you officer?” asked Ace sing-songly, but genuinely wondering why the Captain was still there

“I’m giving you a ride home. All of you. It’s too late for you all to be walking home.” stated Smoker, snuffing out his cigar and gesturing towards his car.

Koala blinked, pointing to herself “Oh, no need sir, I live on Baltigo drive – it’s really close to here”

Smoker shook his head “No, you’re coming as well. I don’t need to find out that you got attacked when I could have just driven you home. Granted, I don’t doubt your abilities, but I don’t need someone to call the cops to break up a fight.”

Koala giggled, going up to the car “Oh my, sounds like the Captain doesn’t like his paperwork!”

Smoker snorted, unlocking the doors “You got that right. C’mon, both of you”

“You came here in a police cruiser?” teased Ace. Smoker rolled his eyes

“I had to go home to get a fucking suit but then I went back to the office. There was no point for me to go grab my own car. I’ll just grab my car in the morning” explained Smoker, opening the back doors   


“Guess where you two are sitting”

Sabo gasped theatrically, dramatically getting into the back seat

“I knew I’d always wind up in the back of a police cruiser with you! My parents were right about you!”

Ace laughed, sliding into the back with Sabo, closing the door. He lowered the pitch of his voice

“Hey baby, I make life interesting, you knew that when you got involved with a guy like me!” 

Koala laughed from the front seat as Sabo laughed as well, Ace joining in. The Captain smiled, rolling his eyes

“Alright, now where do you live…Sabo, was it?”

Sabo paused for a moment, biting his lip

“Um…High Town?”

Smoker’s head shot up, and then he turned to look at Sabo through the suspect transport enclosure

“ _What? Did I hear that right?”_

“Yeah!” started Ace, putting his arm around Sabo “Sabo’s here is blue blooded! But I made him better”

Sabo laughed, bending forward as he clutched his stomach

“Alright, can’t say I was expected that” mumbled Smoker as he started to drive.

 

They brought Koala home to her apartment soon enough. Ace smiled at Smoker patiently waited as Koala and Sabo exchanged their goodnights at the door and shared a goodnight kiss. Ace loved that his brother had found someone so great for him. Sabo truly deserved the best in Ace’s eyes. _A little tiny part_ _of him_ was bothered when he first met her – considering the crush Ace harboured on Sabo when they were kids, but he knew better now. She was just amazing.

When Sabo got back in the car, Smoker turned around again

“High Town? Seriously?”

Sabo sheepishly nodded and shrugged “I can’t help where I’m born, can I?”

“Glad you’re better” muttered Smoker as he pulled out and went back on the road. Sabo and Ace both laughed

Not long after they approached High Town District. To keep the ‘trash’ out as they say, the entire district was surrounded by a giant stone wall with only one road leading to the only entrance. Smoker drove up to the entrance and frowned

“I’m assuming the doors don’t open automatically?”

Sabo sighed

“Let me out?”

Smoker lifted a brow but opened his door and quickly opened Sabo’s door. Sabo stepped out and walked up to the small black monitor and typed in a code and the gate started to open. Sabo quickly got back in the car, as Smoker did and they drove in

“ _What the fuck – what if there was an emergency_?!”

Sabo sighed “There’s a talk button on the monitor, so you could talk to the person raising the gate and tell them to let you in” explained Sabo, frowning “Also keep driving, my house is the big one at the very end of the district – you can’t miss it”

True as Sabo said, once they crossed High Town, there was nothing in the back but a giant mansion that was also surrounded by a gate. The gate opened as soon as the car approached, making Sabo frown sharply

“Aww fuck, they notified my parents I was coming” grumbled Sabo, sinking into his seat

“Your parents didn’t know you were out?!” asked Smoker from the front seat as he drove up to the front door

“No, they knew, but I was hoping to discreetly come home” explained Sabo as he groaned, watching both of his parents and Stelly scrambling outside and towards the car. Smoker had barely time to park before Sabo’s mother rushed to the Captain’s door as he opened it

 

“Officer, whatever it is that you think my son did, it’s probably that piece of trash who set him up!” cried out Sabo’s mother, pointing at Ace

“Heeyy! That isn’t very nice, Jackie!” replied Ace through the opened door, insulted

“My name isn’t Jackie!” screeched Sabo’s mother, pointing at Ace and stomping her foot

“Whatever Jackie!”

Smoker lifted a brow at the whole scene, getting out of the car and going to open the door for Sabo, who stepped out, looking discouraged

“Listen officer” started Outlook III, putting his arm around Smoker’s shoulder, who shrugged it off

“ _Captain_.” replied Smoker, beyond not amused

“My apologies, Captain. Look, how much would you like for you to make this whole incident just _disappear_ ” started Outlook III, pulling out his checkbook “We all know that the true culprit in all of this is clearly that dirty criminal in the back of the car, so we wouldn’t want to ruin my son’s bright future with horrible lies, would we?”

Ace could feel his stomach swirling at the look of pure rage on the Captain’s face

“One – don’t you _ever_ try to bribe me again.” Started Smoker, taking the check book and throwing it back at Outlook III, “Two – I was merely driving your son home because _we were both at the Baratie tonight_ and I didn’t want him trying to get home alone. He didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m also driving Ace home, so before you jump to conclusions next time and _slander_ a minor’s name, you might want to take a deep breath before assume anything.”

“Also I told you to stop calling Ace a criminal!” barked Sabo, pissed off “And also, stop accusing Ace of getting me involved in crimes! ”

Outlook III sputtered, pointing at the house

 “ _SABO_! You go inside right now!”

And then he turned to the Captain, moving closer

“Ah, my apologies, you must understand how as a parent we worry!”

Smoker glared at the man “Get. Out. Of. My. Face.”

Sabo snickered, waving goodbye at Ace who waved back happily and openly much at the dismay of Sabo’s parents, then he turned his sights towards Stelly

“HEY STELLY! How ya doing?! Still rocking that bowl cut I see!”

“ _Don’t talk to Stelly!”_ screeched Sabo’s mother, grabbing Stelly and dragging him inside as Ace smirked, sitting back in the car and closing the door.

 

Ace frowned, leaning back in the seat, arms crossed fuming. _He hated Sabo’s parents_. Some parents they were anyways! Sabo had been a runaway for _five years_ until they got their hooks back into him! They had literally adopted another child to replace him – _but they worry about him_? Fuck that!

Smoker soon got back into the car and turned to drive out of High Town.

“You two sure got a Romeo and Juliet thing going on”

Ace snorted “ _Imagine how they’d be if we were dating_ ”

“Why do they hate you so much?” asked Smoker as he drove out of High Town “Wait, before you answer that.”

Smoker then pulled over and parked the car. He quickly got out and opened Ace’s door “I’m not a taxi service, get in the front”

Ace smiled, getting out and getting into the passenger seat and quickly buckling in

“Sabo ran away from home when he was _5_ ” started Ace, leaning back in his seat after buckling up “And he found me and we quickly became best friends. It was five years later until his parents found him and that was only because his dad happen to be in the Gate district when me and Sabo and Luffy were running away from a guy chasing us and he spotted Sabo. After that he sent the fucking cops to go find us and threatened to have our asses sent to juvie if Sabo didn’t go with him – so Sabo went.”

Smoker paused for a moment, and then he lifted a brow “As a ‘fucking cop’, I have to ask - Why would you have gone to juvie?”

Ace grimaced, chuckling slightly “We maaayy have just dined and dashed when he saw us.”

Smoker snorted, driving through Gate district but then he frowned “Wait a minute, Sabo was living with you at the time? How did his parents not find him then? The city isn’t that big”

“They don’t leave High Town unless they need to. So, that’s why” explained Ace

They remained quiet for a while as Smoker drove to Corvo district. Smoker went right back to the path that he let Ace off at last night and pulled over

“Thank you, Captain! Much appreciated as always!” stated Ace as he opened the door and got out, surprised to see the Captain getting out as well

 

“Oi! What are you doing?”

“Walking you to the door.”

“Hey!” _Oh shit no no no_! “There’s no need for that”

“ _I insist_.”

“Hey! No seriously! Someone’s going to steal your cruiser!” _Oh shit oh shit oh shit_!

“ _Let them fucking try and I’ll track them down and beat them on it_.”

‘ _This was the worst time to get turned on’_ mused Ace, and then shook his head, trying to concentrate on what’s important

“Yo seriously, the old bag is going to lose her shit if I bring a cop to the door!” cried out Ace. _This was bad_! 

“ _I’m not done talking to you_.” stated Smoker seriously. Ace knew there was no arguing

“Okay, how about this, you don’t walk me directly to my door, but the path does lead into the forest and we can walk there?” offered Ace

“Fine. I don’t have much to say anyways.” stated Smoker as they started walking down the path

“I wanted to say that I owe a correction to my earlier behavior.”

Ace blinked, not sure how to take that

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t believe you when you said you were Second Division. After I saw you take those guys out – things are all getting much clearer. I will not underestimate you again.” stated Smoker, frowning “Let me see it.”

Ace merely smirked, shrugging off his button up and took off his t-shirt. He turned around and showed his back tattoo to the Captain and then turned around smirking “Satisfied or you want me to take off more?”

“You have your own name _misspelled_ on your arm?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Tell me why a bright kid like you is wasting himself in a gang like Whitebeards”

“Again, I have my reasons.”

“Your brothers are also in the gang?”

“Nope! It’s just me, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Listen brat.” started Smoker, stopping Ace as he turned to face him “You don’t have a rap sheet and I don’t understand why you’re so determined to get one. One of these days, you’re going to get caught – and Bellemere told me you’re raising your little brother, who the hell is going to do that if you get thrown in the slammer?”

Ace blinked slowly, staring at the Captain. On one hand – he was flattered that the Captain was worrying so much about him but on the other hand – _who the fuck does he get off-?!_

Ace’s smirk grew on his face; he leaned into the Captain, his finger pressing into his chest, his voice sunk low once again

“ _What makes you think I’m going to get caught_?”

Smoker pulled back, straightening up, clearly pissed at the insinuations

“ _Are you implying I won’t be able to catch you_?”

“Well, no other cop has – I’ve been running in gangs for nearly five years now and doing other things before and like you said – I have _no rap sheet_.”

It was now Smoker’s turn to lean into Ace. Ace could practically see the smoke come off of him as he was seething mad but it only made the fire in Ace burn

“Listen to me, Brat and you listen _good_. You will fuck up. And when you do, I’ll be there and I will personally throw your ass in the slammer when I do.”

Ace smirked, leaning in even closer, pressing their chests together as Smoker looked down at him, eyes burning  as Ace ran a hand down the Captain’s chest

“ _How did you know I like it rough_?”

Smoker quickly shoved him away, face red

“Piss off! I will catch your scrawny ass in the act if it’s the last thing I do! Don’t underestimate me!”

Ace chuckled, picking up his shirts off the ground and started to walk towards the house

 “I would never! Goodnight Cap~tain!”

“I’m watching you, Portgas!” barked Smoker as Ace kept walking

“Hope you like the view of my ass!” replied Ace, knowing he was pushing it, but just could not help himself by now

“I have better things to do than look at your ass!!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Captain!” replied Ace, over his shoulder with a big smirk

“I better not see your face tomorrow!”

Ace snorted, trying hard not to laugh – he didn’t think he’d get that much under the Captain’s skin. Ace could hear the Captain stomping away, now blazing mad. Once he knew the Captain was out of sight, he started to laugh, pleased with himself

 

“Hey, who was the yelling guy?”

Ace looked up and saw that Luffy was sitting on the roof of the house

“Hey! It’s way late! You should be in bed!” chided Ace who quickly climbed up the side of the house, joining Luffy on the roof

“I was waiting for you!” stated Luffy, rocking in place “So who was that yelly guy?”

“That Luffy, is Captain Chase Smoker, the current chief of Police – and I don’t think he likes me very much” admitted Ace

Luffy though shook his head “Really? I think Smokey likes you, probably why he got so mad when you told him you were in a gang.”

Ace frowned, how long had Luffy been listening for?

“I also think you like him a lot.”

Ace sighed – there was no point in lying to Luffy “Yeah…I kinda do, Luffy”

“That’s nice” said Luffy, grinning “I’m glad you found someone that you like.”

Ace then shifted, sitting closer to his brother “So, how come you’ve been waiting up for me?”

Luffy then smiled brightly, surprising Ace – what could be making Luffy so happy?

“I met someone new today and I really like him too! I stayed up because I wanted to tell you all about him!”

“Oh yeah? Tell me all about him”

Ace sighed, smiling softly as Luffy started babbling away about his day. Something tells him he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HMM, I WONDER WHO LUFFY IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT
> 
> Ahh notes! We’re FINALLY DONE THE FIRST DAY! I swear, after this, we’re skipping days, weeks and stuff, don’t worry, we’re not doing 14 chapters for every single day, we’ll be here forever!


	15. – CORAZON – What Subbing Group Did These Shitty Subs? (You missed a few lines!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren’t brand new days fun? Okay, we’re Friday now, so we skipped a few – but let’s go!  
> Remember! Between « » means they’re speaking a different language!

 

 

A clock had never so taunted him

Cora was practically vibrating with how excited he was for sushi tonight! He had been looking forward to this for so long! While his recovery, he wasn’t really allowed to leave the house much unless it was for hospital check-ups (Cora forever felt guilty about making his boys do groceries and errands but he had no choice!)

Also Cora had big news for Bepo and Law, so he was super excited! He wasn’t excited about the fact that he had to go right back to work after dinner – but it wasn’t that big of a deal. The Captain had actually been very flexible with Cora’s work hours, allowing him to be with the boys in the morning and evenings, and asking for Cora to work Friday night and weekends during the day was a nice trade-off.

Bepo and Law could handle themselves alone in the house – he knew that much. And if anything were to happen, Law would call him. Okay, Bepo would, Law maybe.

 

“Here’s the other part of the report, Rosinante.” 

Cora looked up from his monitor and smiles brightly – taking the report from Wiper.

“Thank you! I really needed that to finish that incident report!”

Cora made a point to be extra friendly towards Wiper because frankly the man’s intensity scared him. He had met the man the following day of work after the dinner with the _…Mayor_ and felt awful when he was told that the man in front of him was a Shandian. Even if he was a really intense person, Cora couldn’t help but think he looks _really cool_ with his facial tattoos and the way his hair was shaved and styled!

“No problem, if you need anything else, let me know.” remarked Wiper before he went to go sit at his own desk

_Man he was so cool!_

 

Cora went back to typing the report. Honestly all this office work was starting to bore him a little bit – but Cora just kept telling himself that it’s because he just _wasn’t used to it yet_. He needed to remind himself that he won’t be doing field work again. If he was alone with nobody depending on him – he would take the risk, but with Bepo and Law, he couldn’t do that to them.  Cora sighed; he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. He easily adapted to undercover missions and it thrilled him to be playing a double life, but that part of his life was over. Cora needed to be the mild mannered police officer – his boys depended on it.

 

“TRAFALGAR! Stop vibrating the entire office!”

 

Cora yelped, jumping out of his seat and knocked his knees on the desk, making him faceplant into the desk, swearing

He could hear Bellemere laughing at him from the side. Damn he hated being a total klutz

“I swear between you and Tashigi, we’ll have more accident reports than any other district” stated the Captain as Cora turned his head, groaning, as he looked at him

 

The Captain had been in an odd mood since the dinner. Bellemere teased the hell out of his the next day when he came in because Ace had been their server, but Smoker seemed less embarrassed than Cora figured he’d be and more … _frustrated_ with the youth? If Cora didn’t know any better, a confrontation happened between the two – but one thing was clear, Smoker was doing more patrols in the evenings.

_As if he was looking for something to happen_ – but he wasn’t sure.

 

“Aww stop teasing him!” replied Bellemere, leaning back into her chair “Rosi’s klutziness is adorable!”

Cora groaned, blushing “That isn’t helping!”

“What are you so excited for? I could hear your legs shaking under your desk” asked Smoker, lifting a brow. Cora had to admit, seeing him now without a cigar in his mouth made him look naked

“I’m going out for sushi tonight with my boys! I’m really excited, I hadn’t had good sushi in ages!” explained Cora, smiling brightly

“Foxfire, right?” asked Bellemere “Because the place is run by a Japanese family that moved here a few years back, so it’s the legit thing. I remembered how much of a snob you and Sengoku get about your Japanese food.”

Smoker frowned and looked at Cora for a moment, confused

“It always baffles me when I hear that you were raised by freaking _Sengoku._ Who knew that man was even raising a kid”

Bellemere laughed “Want to hear an even better one?”

Smoker frowned more, glaring at Bellemere “Not from you!”

“You know Garp, right?”

“Garp D. Monkey? Who the hell in the Marines doesn’t know that man?” grunted Smoker, not happy to see where this was going

“Well Ace and Luffy are his grandsons”

Smoker’s jaw dropped as he looked at Bellemere in utter disbelief “WHAT?!”

Bellemere burst out laughing at the Captain’s reaction while Cora merely frowned. _Those poor kids_

“I didn’t even know Garp had kids to begin with?! How does he have grandkids?!” asked Smoker

Bellemere’s expression grew serious “His son was also part of the World Government forces. He defected though, so his name was stripped from the records. All I know is that one day as a baby, Luffy was brought to Windmill District and Ace was in Corvo. So, I don’t know more than that and Nami told me that Luffy thinks that he doesn’t even have parents. Nojiko told me that Ace gets in a really shitty mood when people ask him about his parents, so I don’t know anything else”

 

“Like, really shitty. It’s weird to see Ace like that considering how friendly he acts”

Cora blinked, surprised at the new voice and then smiled brightly “Nojiko!”

Nojiko smiled, waving at Cora “Hello Rosinante!”

Bellemere frowned, lifting a brow “Why are you here so early?”

“Heading to work and my last period on Day 2 is a free period” explained Nojiko “So I decided to stop by.”

Cora smiled – he really liked Nojiko! She was very level headed and responsible, Cora personally hoped that he could get the two families together for dinner sometimes, he feels like she would be a good person for Bepo and Law to have in their lives

“Rosi, shouldn’t you get going?” asked Bellemere, snapping Cora out of his thoughts

“Oh! I still have a bit, Law and Bepo joined clubs” explained Cora

Bellemere looked at Cora shocked “ _What?_ I knew about Bepo because he and Nami are in the same club, but _Law_?”

Cora laughed, he couldn’t blame Bellemere for thinking that “Yeah, he suddenly wanted to do Kendo!”

Bellemere’s expression drew serious “…doesn’t that ring any concerns with you?”

Cora blinked, surprised “What do you mean? Kendo’s a great sport.”

“I don’t think he’s doing it for sportsmanship reasons, Rosi.” stated Bellemere. Cora frowned, _where was she getting with this_?

“Zoro Roronoa’s in that team and I saw them go at it yesterday” stated Nojiko “Law’s picking it up really fast too, Mr Brook’s really impressed with him –Also  I overheard Zoro and Law talking about practicing more over at Zoro’s house.”

“Zoro? Who’s Zoro?” asked Cora, starting to get frustrated. He felt like he was missing something important

“Wait – Zoro as in _Mihawk Dracule’s adopted son_?” asked the Captain, eyes narrowing. Apparently he was catching on to something too

Cora’s eyes shot open. _Mihawk Dracule_?!

“As in the greatest swordsman in the world Mihawk Dracule? Like the CEO of Dracule interprises _?! He lives here_?” cried out Cora, surprised

Smoker nodded, putting a cigar in his mouth “Also _very_ good friends with Shanks, head of the Red Hair gang”

Cora was starting to slightly panic. What the hell was Law getting himself involved in?

“Whoah…what…Law wouldn’t do anything to get himself in big trouble! He wouldn’t! Not after everything!” stated Cora, he needed to calm down

Nojiko merely chuckled “Nami is good friends with Zoro, there’s nothing to worry about Rosinante. Also, I see Law talking with Nami and her friends a lot, especially Luffy. I think it’s more they both have something in common. Nami goes over to Zoro’s house a lot too”

Bellemere chuckled “Nojiko’s right. Besides, Mihawk’s barely home because of work anyways. Nami said that she thinks she once spotted him and that’s it, and she and Zoro have been friends for 3 years now”

Cora exhaled, calming down a little bit. Good, good. Law was fine

Bellemere laughed, rolling her chair to pat Cora on the back “You’re such a mother hen! I’m just worried because Law might want to learn how to swordfight so he could defend himself in case anything happens! That’s all”

Cora paused – _actually that would make sense_! But it also broke his heart; it wasn’t Law’s job to defend himself! It was Cora’s job to protect him!

Cora shook his head “He shouldn’t feel the need to protect himself though”

Smoker shrugged “Are you sure he wants to protect himself? That’s not the impression I got from him the other night. ”

Cora blinked “What do you mean by that?”

“It might be nothing, but my gut feeling is that he’s not out to protect himself. From the small conversation I had with him and his interactions at the restaurant, I don’t think it’s himself he wants to protect. But you’ll figure it out” stated Smoker as he went back to his office, closing the door

“…what if his gut feeling is wrong?” asked Cora quietly, worried

 

“His gut feeling is _never_ wrong” stated Tashigi from her desk, smiling peacefully

Cora felt reassured

 

Soon enough Cora went to get changed, saying his goodbyes to everyone he would miss before he came back and quickly drove to school. Bepo and Law were waiting at the front entrance. Cora could see Law talking with the boy he recognized from detention and some other people. Cora parked the car and got out, walking towards the group

“Law! Bepo! You ready to go?” asked Cora happily, waving slightly

“Cora! Yay! I’m so hungry!” stated Bepo smiling

Before Law could say anything, Luffy moved in front of Law and right in front of Cora

“WHOAH! Mister you’re so tall! You’re like that old man that Ace likes so much!”

Cora frowned slightly – _there’s someone in town as tall as he is?_ But then he smiled back at Luffy

“Hello! You must be Luffy”

Luffy nodded, sticking out his hand “Yeah! I’m Luffy, how did you know? Are you Rosinante? Like the horse?”

Cora sighed, _fuck that book to hell,_ and shook Luffy’s hand “Yes, I’m Rosinante”

“I like him! He’s my favourite character in the book so far!” explained Luffy, grinning

Cora smiled back; this kid’s smile was infectious! “Haha, glad to hear!”

“C’mon Cora, let’s go, I’m hungry.” stated Law, grabbing Cora’s arm, but then he frowned, looking at what Cora was wearing, grabbing Cora’s sleeve

“…You still have that candy corn monstrosity?”

“HEY! I love this shirt!” stated Cora, insulted

“Law. Saturday?” asked a kid in the back that Cora didn’t recognize

Law turned to the guy, nodding “Right” then he turned to Cora “Do you mind if I go to Zoro’s house on Saturday? He had things he wants to show me”

Cora blinked, and looked at Zoro _. So this was Zoro Roronoa_! … _This kid was a high schooler_?!

“Uh sure? That should be fine” replied Cora, trying to relax

Zoro smiled a little and nodded while they walked to the car, Luffy waving at them as the group waved back

They got in the car and Cora started to drive towards the sushi place

 

 

“…so…what are you going to do at Zoro’s place?”

Law blinked, looking up from his phone. Cora could see that he had a map up

“Uh, Zoro thinks that I’d work better with a longer sword. So we’re going to see if a nodachi would be better for me” explained Law, ticking away at his map

“It looks like you can just walk there, Law! There’s a path through the forest that takes you right to the house, but Shashi and Penguin said to be careful in that forest since it belongs to the estate and like, Perona put weird things in the forest” stated Bepo from the back seat. Law laughed

“See you were faster than me with the map!”

Bepo grinned proudly “Your navigator at your service, Captain!”

Cora chuckled, looking at Bepo in the rear view mirror

“Are you going too?”

Bepo shook his head “No way, that place is creepy.”

Cora frowned “That place?”

Bepo nodded “Yeah, it’s like, this creepy old estate and like, it looks like something out of a horror movie!”

“Wait! That really creepy mansion on Kuraigana drive?” asked Cora shocked “ _That’s_ the Dracule estate?”

Law frowned sharply, turning to look at Cora “How did you know that was the Dracule estate? I never said that name.”

Cora gritted his teeth “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

Law’s expression then softened “Wait…you knew and you’re still letting me go?”

Cora sighed, pulling into Foxfire Sushi’s parking lot “Nojiko vouched for Zoro earlier today but I do trust you, you know. I don’t like it because Mihawk Dracule is one scary son of a bitch, but his son seemed okay”

Law nodded, smiling “Thank you.”

Cora sighed, parking the car and opening the door “Just don’t make me regret it, okay?”

Law merely laughed

 

They went into the restaurant and waited for a hostess to come collect them and put them in a private room with tatami floors. Cora kneeled at the table as Law and Bepo slipped their legs in the hole under the table.  Soon enough a waiter walked in fully dressed in traditional garb. Cora blinked surprised – _how the hell do they have an actual geisha working here_?!

“Konbanwa or good evening, my name is Izo and I’ll be serving you tonight”

_Izo?! That’s a male’s name?_

“I’m so excited!” declared Bepo, swaying back and forth with a menu in hand as Cora ordered their drinks. Law lifted a brow

“Don’t you usually like some saké when you go to Japanese places?”

Cora nodded “Yeah, but I gotta go back to work after this, remember? So I’ll drive you guys home and go back to the station.”

“Desk job?” asked Law as Izo returned with tea and cups for everyone. Pouring each of them a cup and placing it in front of them.

“Mmm, sorta. I’ll have to answer calls if any of them come in.” explained Cora, sipping on his tea. Law frowned

“I don’t like that.”

Cora sighed, he knew that Law wouldn’t

“I’m a cop, Law. I have to go on the field once in a while, and it’s probably like, noise complaints.”

Law growled, shifting closer to Bepo. Cora groaned, he hated when Law did that

“The Captain said he wouldn’t send me out on dangerous calls, but I need to go once in a while, it isn’t fair that it’s just me! Even the Captain does patrols!”

Law sighed, cheeks a bit flushed as he sipped more tea. Cora knew that he probably just realized he was overreacting and now was a little embarrassed, so he’ll drop it

Izo returned to collect the food order and left once again, Cora gasped, smiling brightly – _that reminded him!_

 

“Ah! I have some good news!”

Law and Bepo both blinked, staring at Cora, awaiting the news

“Sengoku is coming to visit next week!”

“No.” stated Law, frowning

Cora frowned back “What the hell do you mean _, ‘no’_?!”

“I don’t want that man in our house! I hate the World Government and all of their agents!”

“ _I’m one of them_!” stated Cora, gesturing to himself

“You’re my only exception!”

“Oh c’mon, Sengoku is a nice guy! He raised me and everything and he’s been dying to meet the both of you!”

“Then where the hell has he been in the last year? Why the hell wasn’t he by your bedside as you spend a year recovering from massive surgeries!” replied Law, clearly pissed off

Cora paused, taken back. He was expecting Law to bring up the genocide but not his recovery?

Cora sighed, smiling softly “I was fine, I asked him not to come and to just concentrate on his work. He did call me many times a week to see how I was doing, Law. He was halfway across the world, it’s not his fault.”

Law grumbled, taking another sip of tea. Cora reached out and ran his fingers through Law’s hair, trying to calm him down.

“Remember that thing we talked about” stated Bepo, smirking and Law turned to shove Bepo slightly, suddenly all embarrassed

“ _Shut up_!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true!”  Replied Bepo, chuckling

“What’s this?” asked Cora, looking at the two of them, but Law shook his head

“It’s nothing, really.”

Izo then returned with the first few orders of food, placing them on the table and Bepo instantly took a piece and started eating

“If you need anything, please let me know, I will come check in regularly”

 

«I just have a question – it’s rare to see a geisha outside of Japan, what are you doing in Goa?»

Bepo and Law stared at Cora shocked

“ _You speak Japanese_?!” asked Law, not sure what to do with this info

“Yes?” replied Cora. _Whoops! Guess he never mentioned that_

Izo chuckled, continuing in Japanese

«My mother and father live here – but I trained in Japan. My grandmother is an okā-san of an okiya back in Japan but once my training was done, I came to join my family here.»

“Don’t I go to school with you?” asked Law, squinting “Your voice is starting to sound familiar.”

 

Izo laughed “Yeah! I’m one of Ace’s friends. My parents insist I’m in full attire when I serve here since it makes the customers happy”

Law’s eyes widen, recognizing Izo which was making Cora frown. _What was this all about?_ Time to pretend he didn’t notice!

“Oh! We met Ace the other night, he was our server!” replied Cora, smiling. Izo smiled back

“Isn’t he great? I must go get the rest of your plates” stated Izo as he got up and left the room

“Who would have thought that Izo worked here!” stated Bepo as he kept eating. Law frowned, taking a piece of sushi off of Bepo’s plate

 

“Guess the Whitebeards are everywhere”

 

Cora froze, turning towards Law and Bepo

“Wait – _what_?!”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Ace is in the Whitebeard gang. Second Division, whatever the hell that means.” explained Law, piling on sushi on to his own plate

Cora swallowed hard – _it actually means a lot_.

“Law…Second Division is like, the equivalent of the Diamante army.” explained Cora, trying to muddle his head around the idea of Ace being in that division.  Friendly, flirty Ace. Then again – his fighting skills sure were impressive.

Law blinked, surprised “Oh! That explains the Captain’s reaction.”

Cora lifted a brow “The Captain’s reaction?”

“Yeah, the Captain asked him what Ace’s game was after Ace told him he was a Whitebeard, and Ace said he was Second Division so the Captain kinda relaxed.” explained Law as he kept eating

“Well makes sense. Second Division doesn’t infiltrate to collect information or anything, when they do it’s through violence! Usually they clean up messes –“

 

“Or makes them, depending on the mission”

Cora turned and looked at Izo shocked as he placed another plate down on the table. Cora couldn’t ignore the smirk on Izo’s face

“Forgive me, I couldn’t help but overhear. And there’s really no reason to play dumb, now is there, _Corazon_?”

Cora straightened out his back and then leaned back on his hand, eyes narrowing slightly. He turned his chin upward and lifted a brow – he wasn’t going to be intimidated by this _child_

“ _Oh_?”

“ _Relax._ The Whitebeards have no intention of starting up anything with you. If anything, we’d like to extend our support if you need it, but we’re also aware that you’re currently working as a police officer, so if you don’t mind, we’re rather stay off your radar as much as possible” explained Izo as he smiled at them “Also, as a professional - _everything said here is confidential_. You are a very important guests and I can’t have you not trust me.”

Cora blinked, surprised but then Izo smirked “I would like to make on correction though”

“Oh?”

“Ace isn’t just in the Second Division _– he’s the Second Division commander_.”

_WHAT?!_

“Ace?! The teenager that served us at the Baratie on Monday is the _commander_? _He’s a child_! And why are you telling me all of this?” snapped Cora, getting frustrated

Izo merely shrugged “Because we’re not hiding it. Ace being the commander isn’t a secret or anything. And Pops decides on the commanders by merit – and Ace deserved that post. You saw him fight at the restaurant; do you not think he deserved it?”

Izo had a point.  But it was a bit hard for him to handle because Ace was so close to Law’s age

“No, that’s true. You’re telling me an awful lot though.” explained Cora, relaxing and putting a piece of sushi in his mouth

“Am I though?” stated Izo as he left the room

 

Cora blinked, watching Izo leave and somehow felt like he had just gotten played.

“Bet he’s 16th Division” mumbled Cora, taking another sip of tea

“That was… _intense_ , Cora! But you looked super cool and in control!” declared Bepo, smiling brightly

“It’s weird to hear you talk when you’re in gang mode though” stated Law, eating another piece of sushi

“Hahaha, I guess that’s true, huh” replied Cora chuckling

“Also, you never explained how you know Japanese” pointed out Law, pointing with his chopsticks, Cora batted his hand away

“Don’t do that! It’s really rude! There’s no mystery behind it – I used to spend my summer vacations as a kid in Japan. Sengoku was too busy to take care of me so he’d have me go stay with his parents in Kyoto, that’s all.” Man that brought back memories! He sure as hell didn’t miss the tiny buildings and the tiny showers and the tiny doors though.

 

“I never knew that” mumbled Law, irritated

Cora blinked. I guess he hadn’t told Law much about himself. Granted, it’s not like he could have when they were running away trying to find his cure and the year spent in recovery was kinda of a mess too. Well shit, now he felt bad.

“I’m sorry; I guess I never really told much about myself to either of you, have I?”

Bepo shrugged his shoulders, but still smiled “It’s okay! We figured you didn’t want to talk about it, so we didn’t push”

Cora just felt like he got stabbed again. Did he make his boys feel unwelcomed? Cora shook his head

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you two like this, it just, it isn’t a very nice story. Especially not in the beginning. But, if you want to hear it, I’m more than willing to tell you – but at home? The walls have ears here” explained Cora, smiling softly. Hopefully this will help

Cora felt his heart melt when he saw Law smile

“Yeah, how about the three of us in general, just, tell everything.”

Cora smiled brightly – _yes_!

“Perfect! Tomorrow night?” offered Cora beyond happy

“Tomorrow!” agreed Bepo and Law together

“Alright, let’s finish up here so I can drive you two back home, okay?”

“Dibs on the last salmon roll!” cried Law, snatching it away from the plate as Bepo tried to grab it

“Cora! Tell Law to stop stealing!”

Cora couldn’t be happier right now and hopefully the rest of his day would go smoothly.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole Izo = geisha thing was legit like, a month’s worth of research! The biggest tip-off is the Shimada hairstyle and SO MUCH OTHER REASONS! BUT YEAH, Sengoku is coming to visit! So hold on to your hats, everyone! Next chapter – we’re back to Ace!


	16. – ACE – Jaime Lannister’s Actions Make Sense Now (Out the Window You Go!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahh! Did my fic get recommended or something? There’s a sudden influx of all of you! Well welcome! For reasons that aren't important, no work for me today and the fic was ready so I decided why not? Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Heads up – the French isn’t between «- » because the recipient can’t understand it! But I put the translations in the end notes!

 

 

 

“Over the river and through the woods; to grandmother’s house we go!”

Ace sang to himself as he scaled the massive stone wall. Thank god he got into parkour years ago because this wall was a _bitch_!

Actually his parkour abilities is what made him so efficient in general – it’s easy to run away from a dine and dash when they look for you down the street and you scaled the wall instead

Once Ace was over the wall, he quickly jumped on the nearest rooftop and started to follow them down to his location. Ace knew that if he was on the ground, they would stop him immediately and kick him out because he wasn’t to their standards. It’s just such fucking bullshit – but his end goal was worth it.

Instead of scaling the house he needed, he instead jumped right back on the wall, following it around the estate and jumped in the backyard. The beauty about this place is that the owners felt the giant stone wall kept them safe enough – so they didn’t bother with a security system _. Idiots_.

He navigated the over grown garden or _the English style garden_ as people in those shows say and soon found the balcony he was looking for – ah, his promised one laid on that balcony. Ace looked at it a little longer – he could see the door was open to the balcony so the person inside could hear him. He backed up enough so that the resident of the room would be able to see him when they went outside and he started to speak

“Baiser. Le mot est doux ! Je ne vois pas pourquoi votre lèvre ne l’ose!  S’il la brûle déjà, que sera-ce la chose ? Ne vous en faites pas un épouvantement! N’avez-vous pas tantôt, presque insensiblement! Quitté le badinage et glissé sans alarmes! Du sourire au soupir, et du soupir aux larmes ! Glissez encore un peu d’insensible façon! Des larmes au baiser il n’y a qu’un frisson!”

 

“Shut up! Are you seriously trying to wane poetry at me in _French_!”

 

Ace grinned brightly at he looked up at Sabo, waving both his arms

“Well, I was considering the traditional ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair’ but I think my hair is longer than yours!” explained Ace as he started to scale the wall up the balcony as he continued talking

“And also, that wasn’t poetry; it was Cyrano de Bergerac, thank you! Which is an awesome play we’re studying in French class right now by the way! ”

Sabo chuckled, watching Ace climb up “You only had two French classes so far and you’re already at the balcony scene?”

“I may have read it before because I really do love the play” admitted Ace, getting onto the balcony “There’s this scene where he goes off insulting this guy who tried to make fun of his nose and he _destroys him_!”

Sabo laughed, leading Ace into his room

“I’ll have to read it someday”

 

Ace was always amazed by Sabo’s room. With one glance of his room, you could tell that he and Sabo were born in two completely different worlds. The room was easily three maybe even four times bigger than his and Luffy’s room, with a massive bed in the middle of the room with a tv hanged on the opposite wall. Ace threw himself on Sabo’s bed, face first, letting himself sink in the luxurious bedding

“Your booty call has arrived!” declared Ace proudly, closing his eyes

“My booty call? We’re having sex? Shit! I didn’t wear my nice underwear, you’ll have to give me a moment to get changed!” teased Sabo, walking up to the bed laughing

Ace sat up and purred, sinking back down in the pillow on his stomach, giving Sabo bedroom eyes

“Your underwear doesn’t matter if I’m going to take them off anyways~”

Sabo let out a low whistle, laughing as he threw himself on top of Ace

“See! That’s exactly what we were telling you about on Monday! Ridiculously sexy without you trying!”

Ace laughed, leaning back as Sabo rolled off of him to lie besides him

“That’s the kind of stuff you should do with the Captain”

Ace snorted “Pretty sure I blew my chance there. You should have seen how pissed he was”

“Oh yeah” started Sabo, rolling his eyes “That’s why he’s patrolling the streets at night now, because he wants you gone”

Ace blinked and then sighed “That’s just because he wants to catch me doing something illegal to make his point”

“And you’re still bringing him coffee every morning and you know he’s not throwing it away either.” noted Sabo, looking skeptical . Ace frowned, he hated when Sabo might be right!

“Sabo”

“ _Ace._ ”

“I have no idea what I’m doing Sabo.” admitted Ace, looking frustrated. He had never had feelings for someone like this before, it was all – _overwhelming_.

“I think you’re doing the right thing, honestly.  You’re being yourself.” Pointed out Sabo, sitting up and ruffling Ace’s hair “And you’re so likable, like a puppy”

Ace laughed, shoving Sabo slightly “Oh shut up, or I’ll slobber all over your face and piss on the carpet!”

Sabo laughed and then turned and smiled fondly at Ace’s arm tattoo. Ace blushed, the crossed out ‘S’ on his arm had been for Sabo – it was how he signed his letters as a kid, so as a memento he had it tattooed with his name on his arm – symbolizing that Sabo would always be with him on his adventures. But you know, _when he thought Sabo was dead_.  Now it was just a little embarrassing, but Sabo had been beyond touched with the gesture when he saw it – so it was okay

 

“Oh, that reminds me, how come you were in a shit mood today at school? I never got a chance to ask you”

Sabo sighed “Because I’m meeting my supposed _fiancée_ tomorrow”

Ace gasped jokingly “Does Koala know?!”

Sabo snorted, shoving Ace again “Yeah, she knows, she’s pissed, I’m pissed, but my family refused to acknowledge Koala even though we’ve been dating for nearly four years now”

“Wait, didn’t you already have a fiancée? Sally something? Sari? Something?” asked Ace, frowning

Sabo sighed “Yeah, she’s been given to Stelly since I’m apparently too ugly for her now”

Ace snapped up, sitting up as he glared at Sabo “ _What?_ ”

Sabo shrugged, pointing to his eye. Cool! He had taken the contact out!

“Yeah, apparently this is gross to look at and isn’t proper for a man of my standing”

 

Ace paused for a moment, standing up and going towards the bedroom door

“I’m going to go kick your parent’s teeth in!!”

“ACE NO!” Sabo jumped off the bed and grabbed Ace around the waist, pulling him back as Ace struggled to get to the door

“Acee!! Listen to me! I know you’re pissed, but it’s okay!”

“ _STELLY_?! Fucking _STELLY_ is considered more attractive than you?! The twit looks like he fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!”

Sabo buried his face in Ace’s back and started to laugh making Ace calm down. He just got so fucking mad when anyone insulted Sabo – especially about the burn marks!

“Acceee! It’s okay! Let’s just chill on the bed and watch some movie on Netflix, okay?” offered Sabo, pulling Ace back towards the bed “I’ll get snacks and drinks and we’ll have a nice night as we were supposed to! It doesn’t matter what they think – I know I look good! You tell me, Koala tells me, and that’s all that matters”

“Your burn marks are fucking cool” mumbled Ace, letting himself be dragged to the bed

Sabo laughed, gently pushing Ace back on the bed “Stay here, you! I’ll go get the food”

“Take off your shirt! Show them that sexy bod!” teased Ace. Sabo rolled his eyes and took off his t-shirt, throwing it at Ace

Ace laughed, catching the shirt and watched Sabo leave the room – making sure to close the door.

 

Ace sighed. He wished that him coming over to Sabo’s place wasn’t such an ordeal. He’d love to just come up to the door, knock, Sabo’s mother would open the door, greet him inside and they would exchange pleasantries as they waited for Sabo – or he’d be directed to go up to Sabo’s room. Instead whenever they seem him – they call the cops and tried to have him arrested!

Once he was sitting on a bench downtown, eating a Popsicle and Sabo’s dad _called the freaking cops and tried to have him arrested_!  Ace smiled, closing his eyes as he remembered Smoker telling off Outlook III on Monday. God that turned him on more than it should have. Even though Ace felt like he didn’t know what he was doing – he knew that since the conversation near his house – the Captain had gotten more… _frustrated with him_? Like he himself didn’t know how to deal with him either. All of it was making everything so damn complicated.

 

“Dreaming of your Chase?”

Ace opened his eyes and sat up, smirking “Now how did you know?”

“Because I’m psychic, duh” explained Sabo as he offered Ace a large platter of cheese and crackers and fruits. Ace laughed taking the platter

“ _Normal_ people bring bowls of chips, Sabo”

Sabo rolled his eyes, sitting down besides Ace and taking his remote controls off the nightstand and opened the tv

“Well this house doesn’t _have_ normal people – they have freaking platters ready in case someone important comes to visit – that they trash every freaking day because they can’t possibly serve day old food to people”

“Uh, that sounds like a huge waste” noted Ace, frowning. He had spent a good chunk of his life constantly scrapping buy for food or starving – hearing shit like this pissed him off

“Which is exactly why I collect the food before they throw it out and go bring it to shelters and such” explained Sabo, smiling “And tonight – you’re the needy!”

Ace smiled brightly, stuffing pieces of fruits in his mouth as Sabo set everything up

“So, what are we watching tonight?”

“Well, we _could_ have continued Jojo, but Luffy just had to go off and be social”

Sabo laughed “Damn that Luffy!”

“He promised he’d come next Friday” explained Ace “He had already made plans with his gang, and he didn’t want to break it. But he felt awful; he said he’ll swing by the café tomorrow.”

“Aww it’s fine, I like his little gang. They’re so good to him.” stated Sabo, flipping through the movie options

“Ooh, The Road to El Dorado, let’s watch that!” said Ace, pointing at the TV as he kept eating away at the platter

“Very nice choice!”

 

 

Ace opened his eyes and looked around the bedroom. He blinked, continuing the chew the food in his mouth and turned to look at Sabo who was reading besides him and then back at the TV – which was off

“ _Oh fuck! I did it again_!”

Sabo blinked, putting down his book and looked at Ace, chuckling

“Ace, it’s okay! It’s not your fault”

“Urgh no, it’s not okay! This is so fucking annoying!” Ace groaned, rubbing his face, trying to wake himself up more

“Did you notice that it mostly happens when you eat?”

_What?!_ Holy shit, _Sabo was right_! He usually fell asleep during meals and he fell asleep on the bench after having a snack when the captain found him and just now, he was devouring the platter!

“Holy shit, I never realized!”

“It’s probably because it’s the only time you’re not like – on high alert. You relax so your body is like ‘yay, we can shut down now’ and boom, you’re asleep” explained Sabo, but then he glared at Ace

“Would also help if you were on the good meds and not the cheapest stuff on the market. Seriously Ace.”

Ace sighed, frowning _. Not this again_! “They’re too expensive”

“I’ll pay for them” replied Sabo

“No way. I’m only taking your money if it’s for Luffy” stated Ace. He wasn’t going to fold on this!

“Marco said that once Pops adopts me, I’ll be under his insurance plan, so I’ll get them then, I swear. I just have to wait four more months.”

“ _Ace._ ” growled Sabo, taking the book and hitting Ace on the arm with it “Let me help you, damnit! You’ve always been like this! For once in your life, accept the help of someone else!”

“You’re not buying me meds, Sabo! Besides, wouldn’t it be illegal considering _you’re not narcoleptic_?” pointed out Ace, taking another piece of cheese and stuffing it in his mouth

“Ppfft, you think my parents got where they are today through legal means? _C’mon_ ”

 

“Why is that piece of garbage in our house?!”

Both Sabo and Ace turned towards the sound of the voice and saw Stelly at the door of Sabo’s bedroom. _Fucking Stelly_. If anyone was utter trash around here, it was Stelly for sure; the guy has been a bane in Sabo’s life since Sabo’s parents adopted him. Ace hated him because he was a piece of shit.

“Oh hey Stelly, how’s it going? We’re just watching a movie here, care to join us?” asked Ace mockingly, he knew trouble was brewing

“Don’t lie to me!” cried Stelly “I know you’re trying to do disgusting things to Sabo so you can weasel your way into our lives and then steal all of our money like the trash you are!”

Ace paused and looked at Sabo as they’re sitting side by side on Sabo’s bed, and then he whispered loudly to Sabo, making sure Stelly could hear

“Oh no, Sabo _, he thinks this is what sex looks like_ – I think his school system failed him _bad_ ”

Sabo burst out laughing, grabbing his stomach and hunched over

“I know what sex looks like!” screeched Stelly, turning purple from rage

“J-Just go away, Stelly!” said Sabo, trying to stop himself from laughing “We’re not doing anything, we’re just watching a movie!”

“I’m calling the cops!” stated Stelly, taking out his cellphone

“ _Are you fucking serious_?” Ace couldn’t believe this bullshit – he’s calling the freaking cops?! _Like father like son_

“C’mon Stelly, don’t waste the police department’s time like that – Ace isn’t doing anything!” replied Sabo, getting up

“Hello, police, I have to report a break-in and trespassing- “

“Stelly! Drop the call right now!” yelled Sabo, storming up to his adopted brother

“Yes! The dirty criminal is in my brother’s room right now!”

“If it’s the Captain, _tell him I’ll be waiting in my boxers_ ” called out Ace, knowing there was no stopping Stelly now

“You’re seriously calling the freaking cops?!” Sabo was going to destroy his brother’s face and Ace knew it. At least it’ll be a fun show before his ass gets dragged out by the cops

“Aha! They’re coming and they’re going to bring you to jail where you belong!” stated Stelly victoriously as he ended the call

“It’s not trespassing or a break-in when you’re invited in, you fucking twit!” screamed Sabo “I _invited_ Ace over tonight!” 

“The cop is going to believe me over you!” declared Stelly “I’m going to say you have Stokdome syndrome!”

“It’s _Stockholm_ syndrome, jeez, and I never kidnapped Sabo? So he can’t have that? And you call me uneducated” quipped Ace from the bed. He knew he should _probably_ be more worried – but he didn’t actually do anything wrong. Sabo _did_ invite him.  

“Shut up, you! I’m blocking the door so you can’t escape!”

“I came through the balcony, jackass”

Stelly stood there stunned until he ran out of the room, screaming for his parents.

  
“Some door blocking! You suck!” yelled Ace as Stelly ran off

“I can’t believe he called the freaking cops!” cried Sabo, looking horrified

“Don’t worry, knowing the cops in town, they’re going to give Stelly shit – but, I have a plan to make him look more like a jackass.”

Sabo smirked, instantly calming down as he looked at Ace “Oh?”

“He’s going to learn to not ruin our movie night”

Ace smirked – this was going to be fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH NO – I WONDER WHO THE COP IS THAT’S COMING TO ANSWER THE CALL! Well, /I/ know who it is, but you’ll all have to see!
> 
> As promised! Translations!
> 
> “What is it, when all’s said and done, a kiss? A deeper pledge, a more exacting promise, an avowal that wishes to confirm its rights, a rose-coloured dot on the ‘i’ of the verb ‘to like’: a secret for lips not ears, the infinity of a moment that makes a noise like a bee, a communion with the sweet taste of a flower a way to let the heart breathe a little more, and taste the soul at the borders of the lips!”


	17. – CORAZON – REMINDER: You Can’t Adopt All Mistreated Kids (You’re Not Batman!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH so many of you seemed excited to know what cop was coming! But alas - it was already decided! SO I hope you enjoy the chapter anyways! I love when the character chapters intertwine!

 

 

Cora huffed at his desk, arms crossed as he laid on them. He knows he should be getting more reports in, but he was a little frustrated at the time. Cora looked up and saw both the Captain and Tashigi getting their things ready to leave. It was common for the two of them to leave together and arrive together. It all made sense in Cora’s mind considering the two of them had worked as partners for so long.

 

“What’s wrong, Rosinante? You look sad.”

Cora blinked and looked up at Tashigi – when did she move?! How was she now directly in front of him?!

“A-Ah it’s nothing. Just, well, Law didn’t react well to me telling him that my father is coming to visit” _to start with_

“ _Is he coming with the goat_?” asked Smoker from the back, looking through his briefcase, probably to make sure he had all the work he would do at home. Cora was sure the man did nothing but work and smoke cigars

Cora chuckled “Probably, yeah. She’s a sweet thing, I swear”

“I still can’t believe he brings that thing everywhere. Didn’t he find it abandoned somewhere once?” asked Smoker, closing his briefcase and putting on his coat

“Are you really one to judge?” asked Tashigi sweetly, also putting on her coat

“ _Shut up_.”

Huh?

“Oh, you have a pet too?” asked Cora curious

Smoker nodded, blushing slightly as he put a cigar in his mouth “Yeah, she’s an old girl too. Have a good night, Trafalgar.”

Then the Captain turned to signal to Tashigi to get going and they both walked out quickly, Tashigi tripping as she followed him as fast as she could. Smoker caught her arm, lifting her up and fast took them both out the door.

 

Cora blinked – that was weird. But then he chuckled softly, the Captain was probably embarrassed at showing a softer side to himself. He couldn’t help but wonder who ‘the old girl’ was! Maybe the Captain had pictures of her in his office? Shouldn’t be too hard to break into that office –

But then the phone rang

 

Cora frowned _– A 911 call? Really_? Right now as he was going to indulge in some mischief?

Cora picked up the call, frowning – he hoped this wasn’t too bad

 

“Hello, Goa City Police, what’s your emergency?”

“ _Hello, police, I have to report a break-in and trespassing-“_

“Oh? Are you in any immediate danger?” Cora frowned more, quickly tracing the call – _waitaminute_. He was sure he saw a report about this very same address done by the Captain earlier this week

“ _Stelly! Drop the call right now!”_

 

_Sabo?!_ Why did he just hear Sabo’s voice in the back?

 

_“Yes! The dirty criminal is in my brother’s room right now!”_

_“If it’s the Captain, tell him I’ll be waiting in my boxers”_

_That was Ace_   - that was definitely Ace! _Waitaminute_ – was Ace the dirty criminal in question? He was sure Sabo introduced Ace as his brother – why would Ace be a criminal in this equation… unless he and Sabo weren’t actually brothers by blood?

“Please remain calm sir, we’ll be sending an officer over right away.”

 

Cora quickly finished the call and pulled up the file from the Captain earlier this week – and as he thought; the address matched

“That piece of shit Outlook III tried to bribe me when I tried to bring Sabo (last name currently unknown/not certain it matches his parents) back to his home. Apparently the jackass assumed that Sabo and Ace had gotten arrested. Then Outlook III and his wife tried to accuse Ace of forcing Sabo to commit crimes. Later I looked into it; Outlook III and his wife have tried on multiple attempts to have Ace arrested on fraudulent crimes. After speaking with Ace about it – Ace confirmed that Sabo’s family doesn’t like him at all. But If Outlook III tries again that kind of shit with me around – He will get a swift kick of Justice in the ass.”

Cora burst out laughing, amazed at the sheer lack of professionalism in the report. Apparently it had been written up right after the incident so Cora could imagine that the Captain had been peeved. But it oddly showed some warmth – as if the Captain was personally offended at how Ace was portrayed by Sabo’s family. Cora stood up, grabbing his police jacket and putting it on – he might as well take this one -his curiosity was just too great right now.

 

Cora quickly punched the code to get into the gated community of High Town once he got there. Technically he shouldn’t know this code – but the nobles of society don’t seem to be too creative with their codes so when you know one of them, you know all of them. Cora quickly drove to the mansion and buzzed for entry. He sighed, waiting for someone to answer

 

“ _Who is this!?”_ screeched a voice from the intercom – Cora could feel how annoyed she was

_Pleasant_

“This is Officer Trafalgar of the Goa City Police. We received a 911 call from inside of the house concerning a break-in.”

There a pause before the voice broke through

“W-What?! Someone called the police?! Do you know who it was?”

“It was a young man.”

What kind of jackass calls the cops and _doesn’t tell his parents_?

“It must have been Stelly!”

“Ma’am, not to be rude, but please buzz me in. I have to go speak to him because a call was made.”

“Ah. Yes, I suppose you do.”

Cora heard the gate unlock and drove up to the main doors – but before he had a chance to get out of the car, he saw a young man run up to him

 

“Officer! Good thing you’re here! I’ve been keeping guard to make sure that the criminal didn’t escape!”

Cora frowned, looking at the small boy, but then he smiled, wanting to appear friendly “I see. I’m officer Trafalgar of the Goat City Police and your name is?”

“My name is Stelly!”

“ _Your full name_ ”

Stelly hmphed, crossing his arms

“Do you not know what estate this is? To think there’s someone in town who doesn’t know us”

Cora frowned sharply, loomed over Stelly, instantly making him back up and break his patronizing stance. Cora could tell he was afraid – _good_.

“Do _you_ know what happens when little boys waste my time?”

“S-Stelly Asteraceae, sir”

“ _Good_.” _Asteraceae_? Isn’t that some kind of flower family?

“Now, please explain to me why you called me over?”

“Well you see-!” started Stelly, leading Cora into the house. Cora looked around quietly. _Fancy place_.  “I heard my brother talking with someone in his room and when I looked in – I saw that a dirty criminal had broken in!”

 

Cora frowned – Chances are Sabo merely invited Ace over but kept it discreet considering how his family doesn’t seem to approve of Ace and they were caught. But calling the cops? _Seriously_? Yeah, he was dealing with this quick.

“And you said he’s still there?”

“Yes! I watched my brother’s door and it never opened!”

An older woman ran up to the two of them and then stopped, staring up at Cora and gawked - shocked

“O-Officer. I- I had no idea someone had broken in! Stelly just explained to me everything before you came in”

_Well that’s rude. I know I’m tall, but no need to gawk_

“It’s fine. Anyways, I need to go to the scene of the incident; can you show me your brother’s room?”

Stelly nodded, enthusiastically leading Cora up the stairs. Man, this kid was waaay too excited about this. Did he seriously think he was going to go in there and handcuff Ace and drag his ass to jail or something?

“I can’t wait for you to go in there and handcuff the trash and drag him off to jail where he belongs!”

_Apparently yes_

“Officer, my husband is gone for the night due to a business meeting! I cannot believe someone broke into our house”

_It’s not breaking in if you’re invited, you morons_

Stelly then ran down the hall and pointing to the room at the end “This is it! This is the room where the criminal’s in in!”

Cora nodded, trying hard to not roll his eyes. He tapped on the door gently

 

“This is Goa Police. I’m going to ask you to open this door.”

Cora waited a moment before the door opened – a shirtless Sabo at the door with a wide grin on his face. _Holy crap those looked like bad burns_

“Oh, Officer Trafalgar, how can I help you tonight?”

But before Cora could answer, Stelly pushed his way through inside the room, looking around

“Where is he?! Where did he go?!”

Sabo blinked slowly and looked around

“What are you talking about, Stelly?”

“The criminal! Where did you hide him?!” demanded Stelly as he looked under Sabo’s bed

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Stell-…oh my god, Officer Trafalgar, I am so so sorry my brother wasted your time like this!”

Cora blinked as Sabo turned and grabbed his arm

 

“Please please forgive him. We’ve told him time and time again that it’s not okay to call the police and that he should come to me or my mother and father first but you see, Officer Trafalgar, my brother has these delusions! He imagines wild scenarios of us getting robbed or attacked or abducted and they seem so real to him that he can’t help himself but to call the cops!”

“W-What?! That’s a lie! You’re lying!” screeched Stelly as he ran into the bathroom attached to Sabo’s room and tore through it, looking for Ace

“HE WAS HERE!” screeched Stelly as he ran back into the door and threw the curtains aside, looking over at the balcony “H-HE ESCAPED!”

“Please forgive him, Officer!” sobbed Sabo, pretending to cry in his hands “He’s my little brother and we tried so hard to keep this out of public’s eye! I can’t believe he would shame us like this!”

“Stelly! Is that true? Is there really nobody here?!” asked Stelly’s mother, horrified as she turned to leave “I can’t believe this! I shall be in my room!”

“MOTHER! DON’T BELIEVE HIM!” then he turned towards Sabo, pointing at him angrily “Where did he go?!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’ve been here all alone _all night_!” stated Sabo smugly

“I heard you talking to someone!”

“Yes, I was on Skype talking with Koala.”

“I saw him! You’re out to make me look like a fool because I’m now engaged to your former fiancée! You’re just mad that mother and father see me as the better child!”

Wait _fiancée_!? He was barely 13?? But then again, this kind of garbage was common among the nobles.

“Nooope. I don’t care at all about that; I never wanted to marry her in the first place. But now you’re wasting Officer Trafalgar’s time, and that’s not very nice.” explained Sabo as he tsk-tsk-ed with his finger

Cora didn’t miss the smirk Sabo threw his way

Stelly froze and turned towards Cora, walking up to his, his hands up   


“I-I swear he was in here! He probably used his black magic to poof himself out of the room! He has powers! He’s a witch! It’s how he seduced my brother into running away with him years ago! Nobody in his right mind would leave a house like this to leave in a trash h-“

“ _I also have a power.”_ interrupted Cora, walking up to Stelly, looming over him, glaring down at the boy, arms slightly spread out to make himself look more threatening 

“O-Oh?”

“When I snap my fingers – _all useless noises stops_.”

“W-What is that supposed to mean?”

Cora loudly snapped his fingers and then pointed at the boy

“Now you stop talking and get out of my face.”

“B-Bu”

“ _What did I just say_? I said all useless noise, _like the yapping of your mouth_ \- stops and I’m _pretty_ sure I snapped my fingers”

Stelly eeped and then quickly slapped his hands over his mouth, running out of the room. Cora glared at him as he ran out but then sighed; dropping the act once the boy was out of the room. Cora then turned towards Sabo and closed the door.

 

“Well, that was amazing” said Sabo, chuckling softly once Stelly was out of sight “Can you teach me that trick? That little worm never shuts up!”

Cora chuckled and crossed his arms “Okay, where is he?”

“Ace? Why he’s in the closet” replied Sabo, pointing at the closet in the corner of the room

“Really? After the way he was acting with the Captain at the dinner, I didn’t think he was in the closet”

 

“ _OOOHHH!!!”_ screamed Ace, throwing the door open and pointing at Cora “OOOOH OH MY GOD! That was a good one!”

Cora blinked, looking up and down at Ace but before he could say anything, Sabo cut him off

“How come you’re in your boxers?”

“Oh” said Ace, looking down at himself in boxers. _Are those SpongeBob boxers_? “It was really hot in there so I took off my clothes”

“Pfft I figured”

“Is getting undressed a hobby of yours?” asked Cora chuckling as Ace collected his clothes in the closet

“I just get really hot easily, so yanno.”

“Ace has ridiculously high body heat” noted Sabo as Ace walked up to Cora and took his hand. Holy shit – _this kid was an oven!_

“Wow! Yeah, you’re really hot”

“Haha why thank you!” _Walked into that one_.

“You should be heading home though, pretty sure that little bastard is going to come back” noted Cora, pointing towards the door

“Yeah, what a shitty way to end movie night though. Sorry for wasting your time, Officer Trafalgar.”

Cora shook his head “We can’t pick family.”

“Sure we can!” pipped up Ace, putting on his shorts “I picked Sabo”

Cora blinked and laughed – _well that just explained it all_ “Alright, you know what I mean”

Ace quickly threw on his tank top and then walked up to Sabo giving him a hug

“I should get going anyways. Got a hot date tomorrow”

 

_Whoah WHAT?_

“ _With the Captain?!”_ blurted out Cora, shocked. Both Sabo and Ace looked at him stunned

“WHAT? Have you heard something I haven’t?! Because if so – please tell me!” begged Ace, grabbing the lapels of Cora’s coat

Cora blushed, embarrassed at his outburst

“A-Ah. No, um, I got ahead of myself there.”

Ace sighed sadly, letting go of Cora’s coat

“Ahh it’s okay.”

“Man, you’re really hung up on him, aren’t you?”

Ace smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Clearly this was something the kid was struggling with – his heart went out for him. The Captain wasn’t exactly an easy man to seduce.

 

“Your hot date is with Stefan, right?” asked Sabo, diverting the topic. _Who’s Stefan?_

“Yep! We’re going to the groomers at 9:30, and then we’ll go play in the dog park for a while and then we’re going to go relax in the pool since it’s going to be a hot one tomorrow.” explained Ace happily

Oh a dog!

“Ahh, you have a puppy, that’s fun!” Cora had been considering getting a pet, but he wasn’t sure what his boys would want – or even if they would want one honestly

“Actually he’s Pops’ Sealyham terrier! I have a dog at my place but Pochie is like, Dadan’s and she thinks spoiling a dog like that is kinda dumb, but Pops lets me indulge in it!” explained Ace happily

Cora slightly frowned… _Who’s Pops_? Wait, that thing Smoker said during their meeting on Monday about the sons … and then what Izo said

“Pops…as in Newgate Edward?” asked Cora cautiously

“Yeah! Pops!” confirmed Ace, grinning

Cora had seen many gang members talk about their leader with pride, with fear, with respect, with hatred but not with this much fondness. Ace clearly adored his leader – _how can one man inspire so much adoration from his subordinates_?

 

“So I assume you know that Ace is a Whitebeard with that question?” asked Sabo, sing-songly as he sat on his bed. Was everyone trying to read him in this town?

“Yeah, I found out today.” stated Cora, frowning

“Oh yeah? That’s cool!” stated Ace happily. Izo was right – Ace wasn’t even trying to hide it.

 Sabo lifted a brow at Ace, then grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ace. Ace caught the pillow with an ‘oof’ and threw it back at Sabo

“ _What the hell was that for?_ ”

“Captain Daydreaming Penalty!” stated Sabo, pointing at Ace as they both started to laught. It was moments like these that made it really hard for Cora to imagine them as anything else but kids. How could Ace be a Commander in the Whitebeard gang?

 

“Officer Trafalgar? Is there a reason you’re still here?”

Cora frowned, turning towards the voice on the other side of the closed door. Man, that woman had an irritating voice! Cora then turned around and blinked, gawking – where did Ace go?!

“Out the window.” stated Sabo, leaning back in his bed, finishing up Cora’s thought

“Wow, he’s like a cat”

Sabo chuckled “Yeah, he’s secretly my familiar, didn’t you know?”

“I thought he was the witch?”

Sabo smirked “Oh, I see you remembered.”

 

“Officer Trafalgar, I’m coming in!” stated Sabo’s mother, opening the door and looked at the two of them in the room and gasped “SABO! Why are you shirtless still?! Cover those horrible scars!”

Sabo frowned sharply and started to look around and grabbed a discarded t-shirt, slipping it on. Cora could see why the poor kid attached himself to other people than his family- _they were assholes!_

“Officer Trafalgar – is there any way we can make this incident just – _disappear_? My husband said he’d pay any price”

Cora frowned sharply. _Of course._ The bitch went to call her husband while she was gone.

“I don’t want your money. And this incident can’t go away. The police was called – a report has to be made” explained Cora, annoyed that he even had to explain this

“ _Officer_ – I’m sure something can be arranged”

 “No.”

“Officer, I don’t think you understand who we are” hissed out Sabo’s mother. _That’s it!_

“No. I don’t think you understand _who I am_ ” growled Cora “I’m an officer of the Law and I will not have someone attempt to bribe me and this is your family’s _second time_ in the last week attempting to bribe an office of the law! It will not be tolerated a third time! The only thing I am forgiving you for this is attempted bribe but it will be noted and it will not be accepted!”

Cora was furious; he stormed out of the room and down the stairs, leaving as fast as could. He hadn’t wanted to beat someone that bad in so long – he was so insulted! And his heart broke for Sabo – but thankfully the kid had clearly good people in his life. Cora knew Sabo was going to escape this one day and that’s what mattered.

 

Cora went back to the office and retold the tale to Bellemere who found the entire altercation hilarious but completely understood why Cora had been so angry. Saying that the Captain was going to love hearing about this one when he came in tomorrow evening.

But when it finally became quitting time at 3am and Wiper walked in to start his shift, Cora was ecstatic. He quickly drove home and had never been so happy to walk into his home. Cora was surprised to see the television was still on but smiled when he saw both Law and Bepo asleep on the couch.

Cora looked around and saw that apparently the two had decided to marathon Marvel movies. Cora leaned over, running a hair through Law’s hair. Even though the boy was getting bigger and bigger every day, it was odd to not see him as that sick little boy. But it was truly wonderful. Cora was particularly surprised that Law’s skin pigmentation returned to normal and only if you got _really_ close can you see where it’s slightly discoloured. Cora was really glad – not because he minded the discolouration but Law didn’t need the constant reminder had it been too obvious, not because of how it looked but because of how horribly people treated him because of it.

Nevertheless, Law was healthy now – and that’s what mattered.

Law stirred and opened his eyes, jumping slightly when he spotted Cora there. He stood up slightly and turned, looking around

“Wha…What time is it?”

Cora smiled softly

“Like, nearly 4am. Looks like you two fell asleep watching movies.”

Law nodded, rubbing his eyes

“Yeah…Cora, listen…I’m sorry about how I acted…that wasn’t okay. He’s like your dad and stuff and Bepo pointed out that if someone had said the same stuff about you, I would have gotten beyond mad.”

Cora blinked, surprised, but then he shook his head

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you like that. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to come visit so soon.”

Law was silent for a moment, and then he frowned

“Why doesn’t he want to visit you anyways? …Is it because of me?”

Cora’s heart shattered at that moment. He hated when Law blamed himself like that. Cora shook his head

“No, nothing like that. It’s more because of me – I think he’s still mad that I lied to him and almost got killed in the process. I think he finally got over it now.” explained Cora, still playing in Law’s hair

“That’s dumb. He should be happy you’re alive.”

Cora chuckled

“I guess you’re right – you should head to bed though. I’ll carry Bepo, you have a busy day tomorrow with Zoro. And in the morning, I have a good story for you”

Law nodded, smiling softly as he got up. Cora shifted and picked up Bepo, carrying him princess style. Oof, kid wasn’t light!

“My room, okay?”

Cora nodded, following Law up the stairs and put Bepo in Law’s bed – thankfully both boys were already in pjs. Law got into his bed and settled in but before Cora could leave the room

 

“Oh, we opened your laptop to check something on IMDB and we forgot to close it – I heard Skype boop, so I think someone tried to talk to you.”

Cora blinked – that was unusual.

“Ah, maybe it’s Sengoku, I’ll go check it out, thanks Law. Goodnight, I love you!”

In the darkness, Cora could hear Law chuckle softly

“Love you too, Cora”

Cora smiled to himself as he went downstairs and to the living room where his laptop was waiting for him at the small table in the living room. He quickly looked at it – noticing that indeed, the Skype icon was orange but when he clicked on it – he quickly recoiled. This can’t be happening!

 

_*** D.DQ would like to add you on Skype_

_Hi reiichihachi46, I'd like to add you as a contact. ***]_

_Hello little brother_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAN HAVE I BEEN WAITING TO POST THIS CHAPTER! SO many of you asking about Doffy! Well, here it is!


	18. – ACE- Why Can’t This Be Like The Intro of 101 Dalmatians? (We Both Have Dogs!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU GUYS THINK WE’D GET INTO DOFFY RIGHT AWAY? Nope! You’re all going to have to wait!

 

 

 

Ace was pretty sure this milk had gotten bad

 

Or was getting bad? He wasn’t sure - bottom line is that he’s also pretty sure these cereals were stale as shit.

 

Maybe he should stop eating them?

 

Ace shrugged and kept eating the cereal, leaning on the counter in the tiny kitchen of his home. He stretched his neck slightly, trying to work out the small kinks. Not that sneaking in and out of Sabo’s home had been trouble – but rather the stress of it all that had gotten to him. Still can’t believe that piece of garbage Stelly!

 

 

“What’s that face for? Is the milk bad?”

 

Ace blinked and looked down at Luffy who apparently came into the kitchen while he was thinking. Luffy started to forage through their barely filled fridge – looking for something to eat. Fuck, which meant he probably should do groceries today too.

 

The cold air from the fridge did feel nice on his body though. It was stupid hot today so Ace was just in his boxers.

 

“Naw, some annoying stuff happened last night”

 

Luffy frowned, pulling out a pack of baloney and started to eat the individual slices

 

“I thought you hung out with Sabo last night?”

 

“I did! But then freaking Stelly caught us and called the damn cops. Thankfully it was Officer Trafalgar that came”

 

Luffy frowned, looking at Ace in disbelief

 

“Torao is a cop?”

 

Ace paused – confused but then it clicked in

 

“No, his dad, you dingus! Why would Law be a cop, he’s like 12”

 

Luffy huffed, blowing up his cheeks – Luffy did always get pissed when Ace highlighted their age difference. _And it was hilarious every time_

 

 

“A cop?! Why were you involved with a cop?! Ace! YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE INVOLVED WITH COPS!”

 

Ace turned and looked confused at the screeching Dadan and then he rolled his eyes _. Relax, you old bat_

“I was hanging out with Sabo and his stupid adopted brother called the cops on me – what the hell was I supposed to do?!”

 

“Not hang out with Sabo at his house! It isn’t like before when Sabo lived here, Ace! There are new cops in town and we don’t know what they’re like!”

 

“It’s fine! The cop was this really cool guy! Besides, he thought the whole thing was total bullshit, we hung out and talked for a while after.”

 

“You hung out with a _cop_?!” _This would be a bad time to tell her about my crush on the police chief_

“Well sorta, we just talked after. I can take care of myself, Dadan!”

 

Dadan frowned deeply, lowering her voice

 

“Ace. Please. You’re _so_ close”

 

Ace sighed. He knew that Dadan was really only doing it for his own good but fuck, it got really suffocating after a while. He isn’t a dumb kid picking fights in the slums with anybody who would talk shit about ‘Roger’s kid’ anymore. Okay, he probably still would beat up anybody who said awful shit like that – but it’s not like he’s going around asking anymore!

 

“I know I’m close, but it’s not my fault that Sabo’s family are like, total psychos! And besides, his parents tried to bribe the new police chief the other night and he got super pissed and threw the check book back in Outlook III’s face and man, you should have seen it Dadan! It was so fucking funny! Man, that Captain is so awesome!”

 

Luffy snorted, hiding his face. _Goddamnit Luffy_! Stop! You’ll give me away!

 

“…Ace…why are you blushing?”

 

_FUCK_

 

“N-Nothing! I’m not! Nope! ISN’T THE WEATHER NICE TODAY?”

 

“…Ace…what are you not telling me?!” demanded Dadan, getting mad

 

“Nothing!”

 

“Ace has a crush on the Chief of police.” stated Luffy, sticking another piece of baloney in his mouth

 

_OH MY GOD_

 

“LUFFY! I can’t beli- LUFFY HAS A CRUSH ON AN EX-MEMBER OF THE DONQUIXOTE GANG!”

 

“HEY!”

 

_Take that!_

 

“W-WHAT?! NO! BOTH OF YOU! I refuse! Or I’ll tell Garp!” yelped Dadan, beyond overwhelmed with everything going on right now

 

“No! No no! Don’t tell Garp! Don’t tell him any of that!” pleaded Ace

 

Dadan sighed, crossing her arms

 

“The old bastard would come around if I did – but both of you, seriously! Stay out of trouble! We can’t have the cops sniffing around!”

 

“Okay.” replied Luffy and Ace automatically. So annoying!

 

“Also, get crushes on normal people! Not cops and ex-scary as hell gang members!”

 

“Oye, I didn’t pick who I like, okay? Besides, he’s like, waaaay older than me. Not even sure he’ll give me a chance.”

 

Dadan paused for a moment, staring at Ace horrified, and then shook her head.

 

“Stay out of trouble!”

 

Ace groaned but then smiled when Pochie trotted into the room

 

“I will, I will. Won’t I, Pochie!”

 

Ace stuck his hand out – signaling to Pochie to come see him and started to rub the shiba inu’s head when he pressed himself against Ace’s leg

 

“Aren’t you going to a dog groomer today? Are you bringing Pochie?”asked Luffy as he kept eating the boloney

 

“Naw, Dadan thinks those places are stupid and a waste of money.”

 

“Those places ARE stupid and a waste of money” shot back Dadan, preparing herself a cup of coffee

 

“Just me and good old Stefan. Then we’re going to hit the dog park for a bit before I bring him back. Are you going to be home for supper or hanging out with Zoro?”

 

“I’m going over to Usopp’s today! Me, Usopp and Chopper are going to go bug hunting! We invited Nami, Vivi and Sanji, but they said no. Nami said that her and Vivi are going to shopping with Sanji and we could join them at the mall after if we want”

 

Ace frowned – that’s weird.

 

“What about Zoro?”

 

“Zoro and Torao are hanging out today at his house. Zoro told me I could come if I wanna, but they’re going to practice sword fighting so I figured I’d leave them alone.”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“But I did tell Zoro about the mall plan! So I might see him and Torao tonight!”

 

Ace had to admit that it was kinda sweet when Luffy would get a little more enthusiastic when the prospect of seeing Law came up – it was odd to think that they were strangers a week ago. Then again – so was the Captain, so who was he to talk?

 

“That sounds fun” Ace threw a quick look at the kitchen clock – shit, he had to go! “Alright, I gotta bounce if I’m going to be on time for Stefan’s appointment. You keep yourself out of trouble, okay?”

 

“I will! Also! Guess what! You know that house on the edge of the forest?”

 

Ace frowned sharply. That house had been abandoned for years. Ace made sure of that. The forest of Corvo surrounded the area of Goa – but if you crossed the forest, you could reach the other end of Goa. So Ace had claimed the entire forest as his territory so nobody wanted to live near it. So Ace needed that house abandoned.

 

“Yeah, what about it?”

 

“Someone lives there now!”

 

_Shit._ Now something _else_ he had to deal with. Whatever, he’ll scare the tenants out – won’t be the first time

 

“Good to know.” said Ace, putting his bowl in the sink “Alright, I’m out. See you later, Luffy”

 

“Bye Ace!”

 

 

 

Ace made his way to the Whitebeard mansion with no time to spare and brought Stefan to his grooming appointment. It was moments like this that he wished he could drive – but you need a legal identity with that and the fact that he was on cheap meds for his Narcolepsy helped absolutely nothing. Oh well, Marco promised that he’d finally get the good shit once he was under Pop’s insurance. Just a few more months.

 

 

Ace made his way to the dog park with Stefan and smiled brightly. There was just something about dogs that made Ace really happy. Probably they’re unwavering enthusiasm in general. Ace bent down and undid Stefan’s leash – he knew the other wouldn’t run away. _Stefan was an old dog_. He was already pushing 14 which was the usually limit for his breed but he was a happy thing. But because of his age, he was very wary of strangers and it took him a while to warm up and didn’t always want to play with other dogs. So aside from other dogs coming to see him – there was little no chance of Stefan running off.

 

They played catch for a bit, Ace throwing a small stick and crouching down and waiting for Stefan to bring it back. But suddenly Stefan stopped midway from bringing it back and dropped the stick, looking to the side – something catching his attention. He yipped loudly and then broke out into a down the hill towards the rest of the park. Ace gasped, quickly getting up and running after the dog.

 

Once down the hill, he looked around, trying to locate Stefan. Ace was so confused – where the hell did Stefan go?! What suddenly caused him to do this?!

 

 

“Who let you here all alone?”

 

Ace turned and gawked, shocked – it was the Captain! With Stefan!

 

The Captain was crouched down, rubbing Stefan’s ears as Stefan had his paws up on Smoker’s knees, keeping himself up. This was so weird – he didn’t know the Captain?! Why was Stefan so friendly with him?!

 

 

“I…I see you found my dog.” stuttered out Ace, but then he kicked himself for stuttering like an idiot

 

“Portgas. Of course it’s you.”

 

“Well…Ah, Stefan just…got away from me. Actually, I’m pretty surprised! He usually doesn’t like new people that much!”

 

“Hm. Is that so. Well, he has gotten old.”

 

But before Ace could say anything, a gorgeous German Shepard trotted up to them and dropped a tennis ball on the ground besides them. Smoker smiled softly (making Ace’s heart stop) and rubbed the German Shepard behind the ear as Stefan quietly watched

 

“Good girl, well done.”

 

“Is she yours?” asked Ace quietly, not wanting to break the moment, but curiosity overwhelming him

 

Smoker nodded, rubbing Stefan’s fur once more before he stood up “Yep, this is Justice. She’s an old police dog that I officially adopted after she retired. She was my partner for a long time”

 

Ace watched as Justice sat, straight and ready. There was no way of denying that she had been a police dog. Ace smiled

 

“Nice to see you have a soft spot, Captain.”

 

Smoker snorted, petting Justice

 

“I’ve always had a soft spot for dogs.”

 

Stefan trotted back to Ace, wagging his tail happily and then turned around and went back to Smoker, who petted him again

 

“Why do I keep running into you, Brat? It’s my day off, yet here you are.”

 

Ace can’t say he minded at all! Seeing the Captain in white track pants and an unzipped hoodie and nothing else wasn’t making him really happy

 

“Oye! Stefan and I have had this date for weeks now! You’re the one who just moved here! The better question is – _why do you keep finding me_?”

 

Smoker snorted. Ace noticed the distinctive lack of cigar in his mouth. It made the Captain’s mouth look ridiculously empty in his opinion – but if the Captain had a soft spot for dogs, he wouldn’t smoke around them so it made sense.

 

“Don’t flatter yourself; this is the closest dog park from my house. I always take her here after we do our jog.”

 

Well that explains why the Captain was sweaty like that. God it took everything he had to not lick those beads of sweat running along Smoker’s abs. _Shitfuckshit_ , he never wanted to be sweat so much in his life.

 

“How convenient! Me too! Well, closes from Pop’s house.” explained Ace, rocking on his heels.

 

“Clearly I picked the wrong neighbourhood to live in.” stated Smoker, deadpanned – Ace was about to react but then he noticed the small curl at the corner of his lips. Oh son of a bitch, _he was teasing him_!

 

Ace broke out into a big smile and playfully punched the Captain’s arm, who merely chuckled

 

“I almost lost it, you know!”

 

“I know, hence why I did it.”

 

_Was this a good sign?!_

 

“Do you like it here at least? Like Goa?”  Ace just wanted his heart to calm down – it was beating in his chest so hard for now

 

Smoker shrugged “It’s fine. Too many gangs in my opinion, but it’s not the first time I’ve lived here.”

 

Ace stared at Smoker shocked. _What?_! He was _not_ told that!

 

“You look surprised, guess your Marco failed to tell you that, or did he not know?”

 

_Wait what?!_

 

“How did yo-“

 

“Of course I know about Marco and his information network. I figured you got the full profile on me the next day after I brought you home. But I also know how nearly impossible it is to get any real information on me.”

 

Ace felt like the ground was disappearing before him. _How could he possibly know all of that?!_

“Any gang worth their salt does a full workup on all the cops in town. So don’t be surprised that I know. I’ve been in this gang business for a _very long time_. But yes, I used to spend my summers in Goa as a kid. Haven’t been back since I was a teenager though. Hasn’t changed that much”

 

“But…I…When I explained the districts to you?”

 

“You explained to me what happened in Gray Terminal. You said it happened 7 years ago, I haven’t been back to Goa for nearly 15 years, so I didn’t know what happened there.”

 

Ace frowned. He wasn’t getting one-uped here! Ace huffed, putting his hands on his hips

 

“And here I was going to offer to be your special tour guide!”

 

Smoker paused, surprised and then laughed. The laughter made the butterflies in Ace’s stomach flutter even harder. This whole crush thing made him feel really pathetic. Honestly he wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

 

“No thanks kid, I don’t need one.” But then the Captain paused “You also don’t need to bring me coffee every morning.”

 

“I didn’t bring you one today!” note Ace proudly - but that was because Tashigi informed him that the Captain was off this morning, otherwise he would have

 

“Heh, cute. But seriously. You have better things to do than bring me coffee, it’s a pointless waste of your time”

 

“Is it though? I get to see Makino when I get the coffee, I get a nice long morning run, I get to see all the wonderful people at the police station and I get to bring you something that makes you happy. How is that a waste of my time?”

 

Smoker frowned, eyes narrowing

 

“You’d be a good politician”

 

Ace laughed, picking up Stefan

 

“I don’t think I’m crooked enough for that! But I’ll accept the compliment nevertheless.”

 

“Heh.” The Captain then snorted, chuckling a bit to himself “So I heard you were a hardened criminal last night?”

 

Ace paused. What was he talking about – _OH! OH GOD_.

 

“Noooo! Oh god, _you know_! Who told you?!”

 

“I’m the Chief of Police, so of course I get all the reports. Also it was particularly flagged to me because I dealt with that piece of shit family on Monday with you.”

 

“Piece of shit family minus Sabo!”

 

“Here I was sure Sabo was part of _your_ family.”

 

Ace smiled brightly – _why was this perfect man a cop_?!

 

“You would be correct!”

 

“Brat. Why do you-“ and then Smoker paused, shaking his head “Nevermind. Anyways, I have to get going, Justice needs her rest, she’s not as young as she used to be”

 

No! What did you want to say?! Ace frowned – this is the most they’ve ever talked normally!

 

“I’ll walk with you out of the park” announced Ace, smiling as he started to walk near the exit with Smoker and Justice

 

“Have you always lived in Loguetown aside from your summer’s here?”

 

“Yep. Born and raised.”

 

“Do you miss it?”

 

“Hmm, not really. My only remaining family there is my aunt.”

 

“Are you close with her?”

 

“Lived with her, actually, until I joined the army. I helped her run her shop.”

 

“Ooh right! You were a Marine! Must have been fun traveling the world.”

 

“It was – until it wasn’t.”

 

“Did you get to keep the uniform? Bet you look really hot in it”

 

Smoker paused and turned to look at Ace, glaring

 

“Don’t you think I’m a little too old for you?”

 

“My parents were over 30 years apart, Captain, so no!”

 

Ace smiled at the slight flush on the Captain’s face – did he really think that would work or something? He couldn’t care less of the 14 years apart they had. It meant nothing to him. He liked the Captain because of who he was!

 

“You’re nuts kid.”

 

Ace smirked – _that wasn’t a no_.

 

“I’m almost 18, Captain.”

 

 “Almost. As in ‘not legal’.”

 

“I’m not hearing no”

 

“And I’m not saying yes.” replied Smoker, stopping. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather container and pulled out a cigar, quickly lighting it, took a huff and exhaled, holding it downwind and away from Justice. _Yeah_ , the Captain looked amazing when he smoked; it looked just right on him. Or maybe that was the crush talking – _that bastard needs to shut up!_

“You’re heading that way now.” pointed out Smoker, pointing towards the path that leads to the Whitebeard house

 

“Am I? I thought you were inviting me over?” teased Ace

 

“Pfft, no thank you. You better go give the old man his dog back before he thinks you stole it.”

 

Ace laughed – Pops knew that Ace would always bring Stefan back because he himself wanted to live at the house. Bringing Stefan to the Dadan house would just be plain old abusive!

 

_Waitaminute_

 

“How did you know Stefan was Pop’s dog? I called him mine!”

 

Smoker merely smirked, slowly exhaling and then put the cigar back in his mouth

 

“I know more than you think”

 

And then he walked away down the path.

 

Ace knew he should probably run after him, demand an explanation. But for some reason, his entire body just froze.

 

Maybe he was the one underestimating the other all along.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BLESS YOU ODA FOR GIVING US ROGER’S AGE FINALLY! At the time of death, he was 55 and Rouge looked really young when you see her, so I’m ballparking her in her early 20’s! Next week – we’re going back to Law!


	19. – LAW – This Is An Addam’s Family Remake, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to go have fun with Zoro!

 

 

 

“Do you want to bring snacks?”

 

Law blinked, looking up from his scrambled eggs, staring at Cora confused.

 

“No. I think we’ll be fine. And isn’t it the host’s job to provide snacks?”

 

Bepo wisely remained quiet, watching them both as Cora, who was half dressed, looked around the kitchen for something. He seemed rather agitated this morning – more than usual.

 

“Maybe a nice bottle of wine? For the parents?”

 

Law sighed. The Japanese upbringing was becoming more and more obvious as time went by. Now that he thought about it – Cora always did try to bring gifts when the Donquixote gang went to visit any of their associates and affiliates. Doflamingo would always stop him – but now knowing how Cora was raised, it made sense

 

“His dad is like, never home apparently. Cora, seriously! I don’t need to bring anything!”

 

“Yes, you do! This is your first time going over to someone’s house since you moved here and you’re bringing a gift, goddamnit!” Cora frowned, looking around, but then he smiled brightly, grabbing his coat

 

“Oh! I’ll run down to the store and grab a little something and I’ll come right back!”

 

“Cora stop! It’s okay! Zoro doesn’t want presents!” argued Law, discouraged. There was no convincing him, was there?

 

 

“Why don’t you guys leave a little early and Law could just walk there from the station? Also you’re not wearing pants, Cora, I don’t think you can go to the store right now” offered Bepo, eating a piece of toast

  
Both Cora and Law paused, looking at Bepo. And then Cora broke into a bright smile

 

“AH! Bepo! Brilliant! You’re brilliant!” Law sighed in relief – he didn’t want to bring a gift and frankly didn’t see the real point, but if it made Cora feel better, it’s okay.

 

“Nothing too expensive though! Aside from Zoro, I think his sister might be home? So I don’t see why bringing over a gift is even that important.”

 

“Because it’s _polite_!” stated Cora, as he restarted making himself a lunch. Law watched Cora put everything together, cutting himself whenever he cut any fruit or vegetables, and then knocked into every cabinet, banged his head on the freezer door that he left open and Law sighed. When he was a doctor – he was sure Cora would be his best patient

 

“Did I tell you guys what happened last night? I answered a call and-“

 

“Cora!”

 

“It was nothing bad! Just a break and enter, anyways, as I was saying - ” continued Cora as Law stood up and grabbed the first aid kit and started to bandage up Cora’s hands “It was at Sabo’s house!”

 

Law blinked “Sabo? Like Luffy’s brother?” then Law frowned

 

“Did something happen to Luffy?!”

_Where did this panic come from?!_

 

Cora chuckled softly, shaking his head “No, no, apparently the three aren’t biological brothers. Well, I don’t know about Ace and Luffy, but they’re not related to Sabo by blood. Sabo actually lives in High Town! But anyways, yeah, Sabo’s little brother called the cops because Ace was hanging out with Sabo! Apparently Sabo’s family hates him or something!”

 

Law frowned – why would they hate Ace? Well, him being in the Whitebeard gang can’t have helped the situation

 

“But everything was okay?” asked Bepo, enthralled in the story

 

“Yeah, I just scared the shit out of the little brother – that family is a raging pack of assholes! On Monday, Outlook III, Sabo’s dad, _tried to bribe the Captain!_ “

 

Law was stunned – _what kind of idiot tried to bribe Captain Smoker_?!

 

“Sabo’s so nice though” noted Bepo frowning “He saw Sashi and Penguin struggling with their physics homework at the library and like, sat down and helped them out! Apparently people often see him and that girl that was at the restaurant walking around town! Apparently she’s Sabo’s girlfriend!”

 

“Sabo’s great” agreed Cora “But his family’s shit”

 

“Did you charge them?”

 

“No, should have though.  One for falsely reporting a crime; since Sabo invited Ace over, he didn’t break and enter. The other charge would be because the mom tried to bribe me as well. But I just needed to get the hell out of that place.”

 

“Surprised you didn’t take Sabo with you” noted Law, smirking

 

Law was actually genuinely surprised

 

Cora laughed “I almost did! But he seemed okay. Also, I don’t think Sabo’s going to stay at that house once the school year’s done. I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Ace get an apartment together or something. Or he moves in with his girlfriend”

 

 

Cora then turned and looked at the clock “Ah! We have to get going! Or we’ll be late!”

 

Law nodded and quickly finished his eggs. He didn’t want to admit it – but he was actually pretty excited about this. He and Zoro both had rather rough personalities, so in his mind, it was a miracle that they got along but they weirdly worked. And Zoro had promised him fights with actual blades – which is what he was really excited for. But he wasn’t going to tell Cora that.

 

Law quickly got ready and met Cora at the door as they headed out. Once they got to a store – it took some convincing, but Cora finally relented and agreed that a small fruit basket with a small box of chocolates inside was enough.

 

Cora drove them both to the police station but Law turned down the invitation to come in. He was already running late. The walk to the manor was actually pretty nice. Law had his headphones on, blasting music, the weather was cool enough.  It was a nice, open area with really nice houses and beautiful landscaping until…it wasn’t.

 

Slowly and surely everything started to look more and more gloomy. Law frowned wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him or was the area really looked this…decrepit. Law looked down again at the instructions Bepo had written out for him. Apparently he had to cut through the park in front of him and through the forest – which would lead him to the front gate of the manor.

 

_No fucking way!_

 

With the rusted park equipment, the dead trees, the heavy fog ( _where did that even come from!? It was sunny a minute ago_!) This park was right out of a horror flick!

 

Which made Law want to go through it even more

 

Law shrugged, walking through the park. So far so good! There was nothing particularly weird, except - _was that a doll buried upside down_?!

 

Law frowned – is this what Bepo meant?

 

The more Law walked through the forest; he found more and more doll body parts sticking out of the ground. Law took out his phone and started to snap a few pics of them. It kinda looked like really fucked up zombies – which was actually super cool. He always had a thing for horror movies, weirdly enough considering his personal history, but Bepo and Cora didn’t particularly like them.  Law had never met this Perona, but if she’s the girl with the hearse, well then that’s actually kinda cool. _Morbid as shit_ , but still kinda cool.

 

 

Law finally reached the main gate and rung the doorbell. He jumped slightly when he heard the loud, low chimes and looked around for a speaker with a bat on it that was cackling to life

 

“Who’s there?”

 

“It’s Law”

 

Law soon heard the buzzing and the loud unclenching of the gate’s lock. He opened the gate and suddenly two Rottweilers charged up to him, barking loudly. Law frowned, seizing himself up for the dogs attacking, worst comes to worst, he was gonna throw the gift basket at them but suddenly they stopped as a voice called out

 

 

“Lord Zombie Sparkles! Duke Undead Rainbow! Heel!”

 

 Law blinked and then lifted a brow “ _What the fuck where those names_?”

  
Zoro shrugged, jogging up to Law “I don’t know. Perona named them. Like she fucking names everything around here. Wait until you see the cats.”

 

Law’s interest perked up as he petted the now docile Rottweilers “Oh yeah, you have a cat?”

 

“ _I wish_ it was _one_ cat” remarked Zoro as he led Law to his house “Sorry about that, I didn’t know they were outside unchained until I buzzed you in and _Perona happen to mention it.”_

Law chuckled slightly. He always liked cats. Law’s actually been feeding strays he’s being seeing in the neighbourhood, he was hoping that Cora never found out. It was kinda embarrassing.

 

“What’s with the gift basket?” asked Zoro as he opened the door, letting Law in

 

“My dad made me bring it” replied Law as he looked around in awe – _this house was fucking amazing_! _Oh a cat_! Law bent down to pet the white cat for a moment.

 

“Ah. That’s Fantasma by the way. Say thanks to your dad then.” teased Zoro. Law rolled his eyes and handed the basket over to him as he started to take off his shoes

 

“We’ll spar in the practice room, so you can keep those on. I have to mop the floor afterwards anyways, and you’ll get better traction in those” explained Zoro

 

Law nodded and put back his shoes. Zoro then signaled Law to follow him to the kitchen where he dropped off the fruit basket (and Law petted two more cats apparently named Prizrak and Multo) and then he led Law downstairs. Once the door at the end of the long creepy staircase was opened, Law was blown away by the massive sparring room.

 

 

“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.”

 

“The old man is the best swordsman in the world. This is actually just one of his sparring grounds. When you get good enough, I’ll take you to the outdoor once. The old man once made me fight in a hail storm, it was amazing!”

 

Law could see clearly that Zoro really idolized Mihawk. He found it slightly odd though that he didn’t call the man that took him in and raised him ‘dad’, but it was none of his business, really.

 

Zoro then went up to a giant sliding door and slid it open, revealing many different sized Japanese swords

 

“I called Mihawk and asked him what he thought would be best for you, and he told me to give you this one.” Zoro pulled out a nodachi and handed it over to Law and Law took it

 

It was weird how right it felt in his hands

 

There was just something about the length and the weight and everything that _just felt right_!

 

“It’s it great when a sword feels just right, isn’t it?” asked Zoro, himself proud

 

“Yeah, wanna get started? I’m really pumped now”

 

Zoro smirked as he grabbed three Katanas that were on a bench and proceed to unsheathe all three, putting one in his mouth – _what the hell?!_

 

“ _You fucking kidding me?”_

 

“You wanted us to fight for real, this is us fighting for real – I do the Santoryu fighting style – you still up for this?”

  
Law smirked “ _You damn right I am_ ”

 

 

Law didn’t think he ever got his ass handed to him so bad in his life before. Okay, that wasn’t particularly true – but he was bleeding. Not enough to merit a hospital visit though. Okay, that was a lie, but he could stitch himself up – so he was fine.

 

Zoro laughed as he handed him a bottle of water as Law kept stitching up the cut on his shoulder while sitting in the bathroom. He was thankful that it was only the tip of the sword that nicked him and not the full blade because holy shit.

 

“You did really well for someone who just started sword fighting” noted Zoro as he watched Law fix himself up “Not your first time, is it?”

 

“I did a bit before, yeah. But not much. We already had a sword guy and it seemed they didn’t need another one.”

 

“You were in a gang previously, weren’t you?”

 

Law paused his stitching, and nodded slowly “Yeah. I’m out of it though. Permanently.”

 

Zoro nodded, taking a chug of his – beer?! He’s drinking beer? Zoro blinked at Law’s reaction

 

“Oh, did you want a beer too?”

 

Yeah. He kinda did – _but Cora would fucking kill him_

“Naw, I’m good. Thanks for offering though”

 

 

“Hey! Bonehead! How come we have this pretty fruit basket in the kitchen?”

 

Law blinked, looking at the intruder in the bathroom. Did she seriously just walk into the bathroom that her brother was currently occupying?! The door was closed?!

 

“He brought it.” said Zoro, gesturing to Law with his thumb

 

“Ah…Yeah, my dad insisted considering it was my first time coming over.” replied Law – was this Perona? Honestly – she kinda looked what he expected her to look.  Her eyes narrowed as she gave him the one over, she honestly looked confused

 

“Who is this? How come it’s not one of your usual dopey friends? Since when do you upgrade?”

 

_Dopey friends_? Oye!

 

“Name’s Law Trafalgar.”

 

Perona paused, looking over him again

 

“I like your dark vibe. You know, I’ve been out on the lookout for a boyfriend – I think you might be exactly the type I’m looking for. I’m going to have to do some work though – your wardrobe needs to be much darker, maybe some cuffs, some chains, maybe ruffles, we’ll work around it”

 

_The fuck?!_

 

“No thanks. I’m not even remotely interested.” replied Law, deadpanned

 

“What?! You’re turning me down?”

 

“Yes. Yes I am.” continued Law as he finished up his stitches – she was starting to get on his nerves, talking about him like he’s some of doll she can dress up!

 

“ _You can’t do that!”_

 

“I just did.”

 

“Law. Luffy and the others are still at the mall; want to go meet up with them? Escape her?” offered Zoro, grinning

 

Law smirked back, pleased with the offer “Sure, let me just put my shirt back on, and we can head out”

 

“ _You’re ignoring me now?!”_

 

“Want to do this again sometimes?” asked Zoro as Law put back his shirt and walked out of the bathroom with Zoro. Law smirked, feeling the excitement grow in him

 

“Absolutely, but next time – I’m going to bring my own blade”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOH LAW, YOU GOTTA GET IN TROUBLE AT HOOOME! But first - the mall!


	20. – ACE – The Rule Says No Running Up the Escalator! Nothing About the Balcony!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re at the mall! Slightly longer chapter this week! I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Pairings inside
> 
> SaboxKoala

 

 

“Ahh, the AC is so nice here”

 

Ace opened up his arms, allowing the AC to cover him. He didn’t originally mean to come to the mall, but when the idea was pitched – he didn’t oppose to it. Especially considering Teach was coming over soon and frankly the guy gave him the creeps. Especially when he got drunk, because then he couldn’t keep his fucking hands to himself and keep slurring on and on about how if he ever started his own gang – he’d want Ace as his right hand.

 

_Urgh gross_

 

But Ace never really mentioned this to any of the guys because he didn’t want to stir up shit. But he took every chance he got to bail when the other arrived.

 

“Can I have a sip, Izo?” asked Ace, grinning as Izo held his bubble tea closer to himself, eyes narrowing

 

“I can’t believe you already drank all of yours!”

 

“I was thiiirsstty” whined Ace, giving Izo puppy eyes. Izo rolled his eyes and handed the cup over as Ace took a sip. Had it been Luffy or Sabo, he would have drunk the whole damn thing to be an ass, but he’ll be nice with Izo. The other did give him good advice

 

“Oye, Ace, did you know your brother’s here?”

 

Ace blinked, turning towards Thatch who was looking at the upper level. Well shit! There was Luffy! It looked like the whole gang was there – including Law. Ace frowned sharply. Personally he had no issues with Law – but knowing that Luffy was harboring a small crush on the guy kinda changed that. Honestly it wasn’t Law as a person that put him on edge – _it was the kid’s baggage._

 

Of course Ace wasn’t judging him on the fact that he had been in a gang, it was more of the fact of _which gang_ and that _nobody ever left the Donquixote gang_ , unless they were in a casket. So chances are that the blonde pink freak was going to eventually show his face and Ace worried that Luffy would get hurt in the process. But when Ace tried to talk to Luffy about it, Luffy just claimed that he would _personally punch ‘Mingo in the face_.

 

Ace sighed, his brother was something special.

 

Ace then straightened up, surprised as he instead looked down

 

 

“Oh! The Captain!”

 

“Are you kidding me?!” asked Marco, looking up from his phone, his own bubble tea in hand “You’re kidding – no. _I’m not going to believe that once again_ , you two have run into each other!”

 

Before Ace could say anything, Haruta went up to the edge of the railing and looked down as well

 

“No, Ace is right – he’s right there! And he just came out of Victoria’s Secret with a super-hot girl! Whoah! No fair!”

 

 

Ace could feel his blood go cold as he stared at the scene on the first floor

 

Haruta was right – this gorgeous woman with a fantastic body had just walked out of Victoria’s Secret and handed the bag over to the Captain to carry, who rolled his eyes. _Who the fuck was she_?! The Captain had never mentioned anything about a girlfriend?! The fuck was this?! Then again – _he had never actually asked the Captain if he was seeing anybody or if he had a steady girlfriend or even if he was into men!_            Holy shit, Ace couldn’t deal with this – he felt like he was going to fucking vomit. And that was bad – because he’d do it on them, down below

 

“Well look at that, Black Cage Hina – I knew she’d come down eventually.”

 

Ace lifted his head and tore his eyes away from the couple and at Marco. He had heard that name before – OH! That one! The man abuser!

 

“ _That’s Black Cage Hina_?”

 

Marco lifted a brow at Ace as Thatch and Izo looked over the side to check Hina out

 

“How come you know about her?”

 

“She was brought up at the dinner – everyone at the table, well, the cops I mean, all knew her.”

 

Marco nodded, looking back down “She doesn’t look like much, but the woman is known for her cruel streak. She and the Captain were renowned for their interrogation sessions since they always left with the information they needed. Both her and the Captain entered the military academy around the same time. She’s younger than he is, but was bumped ahead due to her potential and intelligence. The two were often seen together as well. They joined the army around the same time; I’m a little surprised she didn’t step down when he did. But I expected her to come visit here and there”

 

“Marco – you fucking told me he didn’t have a girlfriend! _You fucking told me_!”

 

Ace knew that he was being unreasonable right now. And that it was dumb of him to get so mad – _but he was so fucking mad!_

 

Marco frowned, glaring at Ace, making the other back down

 

“He doesn’t. There has never been any indication of them ever dating! So you need to relax, Ace”

 

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” snapped back Ace – he was beyond help now. Marco didn’t know shit about the Captain and he wasn’t willing to take any risks right now – he was too invested

 

But then Ace looked back and the couple was now gone, so he turned to Thatch

 

“Where did they go?!”

 

Thatch blinked, surprised and not sure how to handle the scene, but knew better than to not give Ace the info he wanted

  
“Uh, more to the left, they just carried on.”

 

Izo frowned sharply as Ace moved down to the next balcony area and then he backed up, crouching slightly

 

“Ace…Ace, what the hell are you doing?”

 

And started to run

 

“ACE NO!” cried out Izo

 

But It was too late

 

He needed to hear it straight out of the horse’s mouth. 

 

So Ace jumped

 

 

He landed right in front of Smoker and Hina who both instantly jumped back. Ace groaned slightly, knowing his knees didn’t appreciate the jump but this was worth it damnit! He straightened up and smiled brightly at the Captain

 

“Hi Captain! Fancy meeting you here!”

 

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”

 

Then the Captain whapped him behind the head and grabbed his shirt, pulling him forward, pointing at his face

 

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!”  
  
“YEAH! GIVE HIM HELL, HE DESERVES IT!”

 

 _Fucking Marco!_ The Captain didn’t need to be encouraged right now!

 

“I…I just…” _This was not the time to trip on your words, Portgas_!! Now was the time to be cool!

 

“You just _what_?”

 

 

“You must be Ace.”

 

Ace, rubbing the back of his head where the Captain whapped him, turned instantly to look surprised at Hina, who looked at him beyond amused as Smoker let him go

 

“Ah. I understand now.”

 

The Captain frowned sharply, looking at Hina pissed

 

“What the hell are you talking about, woman?!”

 

“You’re sure making a big deal about him jumping off the balcony. If anything, it was rather impressive. But it would make sense if this is the famous _Ace_.”

 

Ace was so confused right now – how did she know about him?

 

“ _Hina_ ” warned the Captain, almost growling. Man, if Ace thought he knew how to get under the Captain’s skin – this woman must have a PHD in the topic

 

“Nothing.  Just some things Tashigi has told me. I don’t see why you’re holding back, he’s exactly your ty-“

 

“Shut up NOW!” bellowed Smoker, beyond pissed off now as Ace merely watched quietly – what was that? She was about to say type, wasn’t she?!

 

“And stop talking to Tashigi about me!”

 

“Well, maybe Hina wouldn’t need to ask Chase’s only other friend about him, if Chase wasn’t such a grumpy asshole who didn’t keep his oldest and one of the few people on this planet who can tolerate his bad attitude, out of the loop when he moved away so Hina has to resort to other means to get the information she wants.”

 

“I hate when you do that.” growled Smoker, but then he turned towards Ace who remained perfectly quiet “Brat. What did you want?”

 

“To know who she is?” offered Ace meekly, now he felt super dumb. He literally jumped a story down to see who a girl was

 

“I am Hina. One of the few people in the world who can tolerate this man. Clearly so can you because you’re practically throwing yourself at him.” But then Hina leaned in, grabbing Ace’s chin, looking over him carefully

 

“You are a very gorgeous thing, aren’t you. My, I would love to play with you; I bet you’re absolutely lovely when you reach your limit”

 

Ace could feel his blood go ice cold, yet he couldn’t move. _This woman was terrifying_!

 

“Chase! Why are you being stupid? If you won’t play with him, _I will_.”

 

Smoker growled, walking up to them and pushing Ace away from Hina’s grasp. Ace blinked a few time, surprised as he held on to Smoker’s arm

 

“Leave the brat alone, nobody deserves for you to get your evil claws in them – especially not this brat. On that note – what the hell are you planning with Tashigi?”

 

Hina shrugged “Men are toys. Women are not.”

 

Smoker rolled his eyes and looked towards Ace. Ace’s entire body froze as he still held on to the arm, looking at the Captain confused

 

“Why are you still holding on to me?”

 

“Umm…well…ah”

 

Hina crosser her arms, looking over the scene with an unimpressed look on her face

 

“Why don’t you just fuck him and get it out of your system?”

 

“Okay, that’s it, what the hell has gotten into you?! We’re leaving. My shift’s about to start anyways.”

And then Smoker turned to Ace, frowning “Don’t you _ever_ do something that irresponsible again, you hear me?! You could have broken your legs!”

 

“If you do that again, _Daddy will spank you_.”

 

“HINA, SHUT UP!” Ace chuckled, Smoker was beyond red right now, turned and grabbed Hina by the forearm, trying to force her out of the mall – Hina merely laughed, following along

 

Ace stood there stunned – not sure what exactly just took place, but one thing’s for sure, he felt completely humiliated.

 

He could never face the Captain again. The man was in a completely different universe than he was. Was he truly over his head? The man surrounded himself with captivating and powerful people and Ace just felt…dumb.

 

 

“I can’t believe you did something so fucking dumb!”

 

Ace turned his head and looked at his friend walking up to him.  He really wasn’t in the mood right now for one of Marco’s lectures. Before Marco had a chance to say anything else, Izo put his hand on Marco’s shoulder, signalling him to stop

 

“Are you okay, Ace? You seem…frazzled.” Asked Izo quietly

 

Ace frowned; he didn’t know how to word how he was feeling. Marco sighed

 

“I was going to tell you to stay as far away from Hina as possible” started Marco “She has the ability to lock down people and make them shut down. That’s why they call her ‘black cage’.”

 

Ace shook his head; he didn’t want to be in the mall anymore. Frankly, he just wanted to go home and crash –but he couldn’t. Jozu had gotten him a nice construction gig for tonight and it was good money.

 

“I need to go. I have that job Jozu got me.”

 

“Ace?” asked Thatch worryingly, frowning slightly

 

Ace forced himself to smile brightly “I’m fine! Seriously! I think I just knocked the wind out of me a bit, that’s all!”

 

“If you say so Ace.” replied Haruta, but like the others, his face clearly said he wasn’t buying it

 

 

 

Ace waved goodbye and high tailed it out of the mall. He immediately started to run. Ace wasn’t sure where he was even going, but he knew he needed to talk to someone.  It was times like this that frustrated him the most – he always felt like he couldn’t be vulnerable around anyone because he’d appear weak. Usually he didn’t care, but now…

 

Ace stopped running when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and quickly answered it, not bothering to look at who was calling

 

“ _What?!”_

 

“ _Where are you_?”

 

Sabo!

 

“Why are you asking?”

 

“ _I was told to come find you.”_

 

 _Oh what the hell!_ They had sent Sabo after him?!

 

“You can tell Marco to _mind his own fucking business_ ”

 

“ _Marco? Marco didn’t tell me shit – it was Luffy. He said he saw you at the mall talking with ‘Smokey’ and when he left; you looked kinda upset and left the mall in a hurry. So he asked me to come see you.”_

 

_Well that’s beyond embarrassing!_

 

“Well _, Luffy can mind his own business_!”

 

“ _Ace. Oh!”_

 

And then the call disconnected. Ace looked at his phone pissed off, he considered for a moment calling back, but he really didn’t feel like it right now. Great, Luffy saw him make a total ass out of himself, that’s fantastic

 

 

“You should have told me you were just outside!”

 

Ace blinked, looking up at Sabo who was holding open the door. Ace turned his head and looked. _Shit_! He ran to the café!

The Revolutionary Army ran an old fashioned café that served pretty much as their base. Not only did it serve drinks and food, but there was also a large discussion area where they could talk and share ideas. It was like the old salons that Ace had read about in his French literature classes. All the members of the army were expected to work the café, so Sabo and Koala usually took the weekend shifts. Ace really liked the uniform there, so did Sabo since he got to wear his top hat. Ace thought he looked really good with a dress shirt and the waistcoat – but Sabo was always a sharp dresser.

 

“…I didn’t realize I ran here.”

 

Sabo chuckled, dramatically gesturing to himself

 

“You just wanted to see me, deep down in your heart. Now c’mon. Come inside and let’s talk.”

 

 

Ace sighed a little bit in relief. Sabo he could trust. Ace went inside the café, Sabo following suite. He walked past the counter, where a confused Koala lifted a brow as Sabo grabbed Ace’s hand, leading him towards the back. Koala grinned, leaning over the counter towards the pair

 

“Remember the rule, Sabo! If you cheat on me with Ace, I get to watch!”

 

Ace blinked and then burst out laughing as Sabo followed suit. Sabo dramatically groaned

  
“You weren’t supposed to mention the threesome until I talked to him first!”

 

“Oops!”

 

“Oh my god, you two” replied Ace, chuckling. Coming here was a good idea! Ace just wished he had thought of it.  Sabo smiled back at him and led him to the discussion room and unlocked a door on the side. Ace frowned – he was sure that door was just decorative! But sure enough, it opened and Ace was led down some stairs into a large room, filled with desks and chairs and charts and maps

 

Holy shit, _was this their true headquarters?!_

 

“Uh…not to criticize your decisions, but should you really bring me down here?”

 

Sabo chuckled, opening up the fridge down there and handing Ace a bottle of Japanese canned coffee drinks. God he loved those!

 

“It’s fine. I am the Chief of Staff and 2nd in command; I think I can bring anyone I want down here.”

 

Ace did a low whistle as he followed Sabo to some couched and sat down, opening his drink

 

“Fancy title, there, mister”

 

“Thank you, I earned it. Now, what the hell happened?”

 

Ace groaned, he wasn’t going to make it

 

“So…I was at the mall and I saw the Captain with this super hot girl and I kinda…lost it.”

 

“Lost it? Like you got pissed? I don’t blame you! Who was she anyways? I thought you told me Marco said he was single.”

 

Good old Sabo, got it right away

 

“Well, he isn’t _married_. But I’m starting to think that the Captain controls all the information released about himself. Did you know he used to spend his summers in Goa as a kid?! Like, how did Marco not know that?”

 

Sabo frowned, lifting a brow

 

“You’re deflecting.”

 

 _Son of a bitch,_ Sabo

 

“So, yeah, I lost my shit at Marco, who told me to calm down”

 

“Like that doesn’t piss you off even more”

 

“Holy shit, _thank you_.  So I decided to get the info I needed straight from the Captain. So well, I jumped down.”

 

“From the 2nd to the 1rst?”

 

“Yeah”

 

“Oh that’s an easy jump; we used to do much higher back in the forest”

 

“Sabo, you’re like, thank you, you’re perfect, stay you”

 

Sabo chuckled

 

“Bet Marco gave you shit”

 

“No, the Captain did! He started yelling at me saying what I did was dangerous and whapped me on the head!”

 

Sabo was silent for a moment, and then lifted his brow

 

“He hit you hard?”

 

“No, no, just a whap.  Barely felt it, but it caught me off guard.”

 

“Okay, so he yelled at you and reacted harshly because you might have gotten hurt?”

 

“Yeah”

 

“Go on.”

 

“So anyways, he asked me why I jumped and I couldn’t come up with anything suave or cool to say, but then Hina was like ‘oh you must be the infamous Ace’ and my mind just – gave up.”

 

“Wait, Hina? That’s the girl’s name. Oh man, was she the girl they were talking about at the supper? The one that uses guys as chairs?”

 

“Yeah! That’s her – anyways, she’s scary as hell and like, she kept making weird comments. Like, I’m his type? And that he should just play with me or fuck me to get it out of his system, but he would get mad at every comment, so I don’t know. He probably thinks I’m super lame now.”

 

Ace couldn’t even look at Sabo anymore. He just looked at down at the hardwood floor, hoping it would swallow him whole

 

“…Ace…I think he likes you.”

 

“ _What?!”_

 

 If Sabo was just saying that to make him feel better, he was going to lose his _shit_! Ace looked up to glare at Sabo, who already had his hands up defensively

 

“Okay, just, stay with me here. She’s his friend, right? She’s teasing him about you, telling him to just sleep with you or do something and he got mad, right?”

 

“Yeah…following you so far”

 

“Ace, what if he was pissed because he was embarrassed that she was saying all that stuff. Like, if someone went up to the Captain while you’re giving him coffee or something and was like ‘hey Ace, why don’t you…I don’t know…take off his pants and suck him off right now’, how would you react?”

 

“ _I would murder that person_.”

 

“Exactly!” pointed out Sabo, enthusiastically “So, put yourself in the Captain’s shoes”

 

“ _Holy shit_.”

 

The Captain maybe liked him? _Maybe the Captain liked him_! Ace’s mind was whirling, could this actually be possible? Honestly from the beginning, Ace never thought of this possibility – so what now?

 

“So, you gonna make a move, Little Red Riding Hood?”

 

Ace blinked at Sabo, and then he frowned and looked down – goddamnit, he was entirely red again

 

“I don’t know…what if we’re wrong?”

 

 

“Wrong about what?”

 

Ace and Sabo both turned towards Koala who just walked into the room

 

“Sorry to disturb you boys, but my shift is done and I needed the homework I left here” explained Koala as she pointed to a series of books on the end of the couch

 

“Koala. Be our neutral judge.”

 

Koala walked towards them serious, as she nodded

 

“I am here.”

 

“Okay, if you meet a guy at the mall, and his friend keeps making comments about how you’re just the guy’s type, that he should sleep with you and get it out of their system and etc, does that tell you that the guy you met at the mall is into you?”

 

“Oh yeah, absolutely.” exclaimed Koala, Ace became even redder

 

“And best next move?”

 

“Make a move!” replied Koala, grinning “Is this about the Captain? Oh my god, Ace, you need to make a move!”

 

“What kind of move?” asked Ace, a little overwhelmed. If the Captain rejects him, he doesn’t know if he’ll take it well

 

“Kiss him! Start simple though, like, give him space, do it slowly enough that he can bail if he wants to, but fast enough that the intention is clear” explained Koala happily as she picked up her books

 

“But…what if he rejects me?”

 

“Then you accept it and move on. But Ace, if you never make a move - who will? Are you going to get jealous at every person you see him with because you never had the nerve to make a move?”

 

“ _Too late_ ~” teased Sabo, grinning.

 

“Oye! I wasn’t jealous! I…just wanted to know who she was.”

 

Both Koala and Sabo looked at Ace, unimpressed

 

“Okay, okay! I’ll…make a move, I guess.”

 

 _Easier said than done though_. Ace didn’t want to live through heartbreak like that

 

“Good! Now let’s all get something to eat for supper, shall we? There’s a great stir-fry place nearby and since Ace is all mopey, I’ll pay to put a lovely smile back on his face”

 

_What? No!_

 

“Wait, you don’t need to, I have cash”

 

Koala shook her head “No, no, I insist! I need to butter up to my future in-laws”

 

Sabo and Ace laughed as Koala grabbed Ace’s arm and lead him out

 

“Aww Koala, I’ll always accept you first as my sister-in-law”

 

“Good! Tell that to the bitch meeting Sabo tonight!”

 

“ _I told you_ – I’m not going to marry her!”

 

The minute they get outside – Ace sees the Captain go by in his police cruiser and he could feel his heart rush to his throat

 

Ace couldn’t do this anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY! Will Ace finally make a move in the next chapter? If so – How will the Captain react? Well, I guess I know,you’ll all have to wait because next week we’re back at Law! Also, heads up – I’m at a convention next weekend, chapter should still be up on time, if not, it will just be a little later in the same spand-ish of time! The chapter is already written so it would just take me a few moments to upload it!


	21. – LAW – Everybody Come & Play, Throw Every Care Away – (This Is How It Works In Teen Movies, Right?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY! I drove hours back home from the con and unpacked and fell asleep! So I just woke up and posted it right away - MY BAD!
> 
> SO, something is FINALLY going to start happening with one of our pairings! So let's get started!

 

 

“Did anyone ever tell you that you run like a fugitive?”

Law scoffed, laughing softly as he walked towards the mall with Zoro. It had been a real challenge to escape Perona who tried very hard to keep getting Law’s attention as they tried to escape. Even though the ride in the hearse had been really tempting – she was starting to creep him out. (It could also have to do with the fact that Law just wasn’t used to girls so aggressively pursuing him)

“Well maybe I was one.” Now that Law thought about it though, he had been a fugitive – _twice!_

“Heh. Would explain a lot about you, actually.” noted Zoro, stretching out his neck

“What’s that supposed to mean? I told you I was in a gang before.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say you were a fugitive.”

 “Yeah, I was. Because when I left them, they came after me.” Well – more like Cora had kidnapped him, but those were details

“Are they still coming after you?” _Shit._ Law was hoping he wouldn’t ask that

“Probably.” admitted Law, sighing – he was enjoying hanging out Luffy and the others, but he guessed that was the end of that

Zoro merely smirked; Law could see the fire burning in his eyes

“I hope they’re strong – _that sounds like fun_ ”

Guess he was wrong!

_Waitaminute, something was off here_

“Zoro. Isn’t the mall _that_ way?”

 

They soon arrived to the mall (after many mishaps). Law looked around – he thinks he’s been here maybe once? Him and Bepo needed new clothes, so Cora had given them his credit card and both boys went off. But Law couldn’t stand leaving Cora alone for too long while he was recovering from his surgeries so the trip lasted maybe 45 minutes in total. Cora had asked them if they had even bought anything period. The idea of idling in a mall seemed so foreign to him now.

“Nami said that they’re on the top floor.”

Law nodded, following Zoro to the escalators. Soon enough, as he went up, he could hear all the voices around him slowly drift away with only Luffy’s loud, enthusiastic voice filtering through. Law blushed furiously, completely embarrassed as how his mind had singled out Luffy’s voice like that

“TORAO!”

Law blinked and suddenly he had an arm full of Luffy who had jumped into his arms and hugged him. But then Law instantly winced, slightly pushing Luffy off of him as he held on to his wounded shoulder – _right fuck!_

He had been so focused on Luffy that he completely forgot about his new stitches!

“Oye, Luffy, careful! You might pop his stitches!” berated Zoro to a confused Luffy

Luffy frowned

“Stitches? Why do you have stitches?”

 

“Let me guess – you two fought with _actual_ swords.” offered Nami, frowning, hands on her hips – she looked so much like her mother when she did that

“Well how the hell do you expect him to learn how to fight with swords – if he doesn’t fight with sword?” argued Zoro, miffed at being reprimanded

“It’s alright Nami. Zoro offered and I said yes, I’m much at fault here as he is” explained Law

“Oh yeah? How is Rosi gonna take that?” asked Nami, lifting a brow as she crossed her arms at her chest

_OH FUCK!_

“Rosi? Who’s Rosi? Is he a another new student at our school?” asked Vivi from the side, smiling gleefully

“Rosi is Law’s dad. He’s a cop with my mom.” explained Nami

Luffy smiled brightly

“And he’s like – super tall!”

“Oooh, you mean that giant blonde man that comes every day!” noted Usopp

“Yeah, that’s Cora.” confirmed Law, wanting the conversation to end – it was weird to talk about Cora like that. Honestly, he didn’t find Cora that tall – yes, he was tall compared to most people, but his brother was much taller.

 

“Cora? Why do you call him Cora?” asked Vivi, blinking “I thought his name was Rosi?”

Nami frowned slightly, looking away. She knew why. Shit! He knew he was going to slip one day – he didn’t think I’d be so soon

“It’s…ah.”

“Is it like a nickname?” offered Chopper, Law blinked, he hadn’t noticed the boy there

“Yes. Like a nickname.”

“Oh cool! Nicknames are fun! What does Cora stand for?” asked Vivi – Law wanted her to stop asking questions, _but she was too damn nice for him to tell her off_

_God this was so embarrassing_

“…Corazon. But, it was because that’s the name I was given when I first met him, and it kinda stuck. Rosi’s also a nickname, his name is Rosinante.”

“That makes sense, it sounds really sweet!” added Vivi, but then she turned to everyone “Are you all excited about the homecoming dance on Friday?”

“Do we _have_ to go?” asked Usopp, sighing

Law blinked, he had completely forgotten about the dance. Honestly he had no intention of going anyways. Dances in general sounded lame – he’d rather go check out the book shop at the training hospital on Friday.

Vivi frowned

“Of course we do! It’s going to be loads of fun and it’s my last time to go to a school dance with everyone” noted Vivi, a little sadly

Law lifted a brow – what did that mean?

“Vivi has to return to her own country when the semester’s over.” explained Nami a little sadly, seemingly had noticed Law’s confused expression. Vivi smiled, taking Nami’s hand

“That’s why I want to make as many fun memories with you all before I go!”

_Wait._

_Are they?_

“Ahh my sweet Nami, my sweet Vivi, it breaks my heart to see the two of you so sad!”

“I guess it doesn’t take much to hurt you” quipped Zoro, rolling his eyes

Sanji growled

“I’m going to break you in half, Moss Head!”

“Bring it, you shitty cook!”

“I think I hear Ace yelling”

 

They all turned to look at Luffy who looked a bit distressed. Law frowned sharply – he didn’t like that look on Luffy. Luffy ran to the side of the railing and looked down

“What are they yelling about?” asked Vivi, trying to look over the railing

“I think Ace is yelling at Marco for some reason?” frowned Sanji, also trying to listen in

“Did Ace just jump down?!” screeched Usopp, shocked. Luffy laughed

“Ace jumps off our house all the time, he’ll be fine!”

 

“ _WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!”_

Luffy laughed even harder, clutching his stomach as he pointed down

“AHAHAHA Smokey’s punishing Ace!”

Law’s jaw dropped – what the hell was Ace doing?! All Law could see is Smoker yelling at Ace as this woman in a tank top and small shorts stood besides them – but it seems she would say something and piss off the Captain

Who was that woman?

Sanji chuckled slightly as he looked down

“What’s that expressions about fools in love?”

“In love?” asked Vivi, curiosity compelling her to ask

“Yeah! That’s Smokey! The guy I told you Ace has a big crush on!”

Everyone looked at Luffy stunned and then they all looked down, over the balcony – checking out Ace’s beau

“My, he isn’t a little man, isn’t he?” noted Vivi, making Nami laugh

“No, not at all – he’s a nice guy though, he’s just, really gruff”

“You met him?” asked Chopper, standing on the tip of his toes to get a better view of the scene

“Yeah, he’s the new police chief” explained Nami

“WHAT?” replied Usopp, Vivi and Chopper, shocked. Zoro merely laughed

“Ace is ridiculously into him” noted Sanji, smiling as he leaned over the railing “Considering how we’re so used to seeing Ace, it’s actually pretty cute.”

“ _Jealous_?” asked Zoro, smirking

“What the hell are you implying?!” yelled Sanji, getting ready to fight Zoro

 

Law couldn’t take his eyes off Luffy

Slowly as the scene went on, Luffy was laughing and smiling less and less and his expression was growing more and more serious. Law hadn’t been paying attention to the scene much – but this was concerning him

“Is everything okay?” asked Law – not quite sure what possessed him to even ask. Luffy shook his head but sighed

“Something’s wrong. Ace isn’t…being himself.” started Luffy, frowning even more “That woman looks scary.”

Law looked over and frowned sharply –Now that he really looked at her – He recognized her! _That’s Black Cage Hina_! Cora told him about her – she’s a specialist in interrogations! After she was brought up at the dinner – Cora managed to find a picture of her to show him and Bepo!

“She is. That woman is renowned for being terrifying.”

“She is awfully beautiful though!” noted Sanji, grinning

“Ace isn’t okay.” stated Luffy, frowning

“Do you want to go see him?” asked Law but Luffy shook his head

“Ace gets super mad and embarrassed when I worry about him” explained Luffy, taking out his cellphone and started dialing “So if I go down there, he’ll beat me up or yell at me, I have a better idea!”

 Soon enough; he had the phone to his ear

 

“Sabo! Are you busy right now?”

_Sabo?_

“Well, Ace just got yelled at by Smokey and this scary lady made him feel uncomfortable and now Ace doesn’t look okay”

Luffy leaned over the railing, looking down, trying to see Ace

“He’s leaving the mall! I don’t know where he’s going, but he brushed off his Whitebeard friends!”

Luffy then smiled brightly

“You’ll go find him? Okay! Thanks Sabo! I knew I could count on you!”

Law felt almost blinded by the huge smile Luffy currently had on his face

There was a pause, and  then Luffy laughed

“Hi Koala! Yeah I’ll come join you guys! You’ll text me where you’re eating? Okay!” then Luffy paused and looked at Law

“Can I bring a friend?”

Law blinked, surprised – why was Luffy looking at him? Probbaly because he was just standing there

“Okay! I’ll see you then!”

Luffy smiled brightly at Law as he hung up

“Do you plans for supper, Torao?”

 

Law stared at Luffy stunned. He had many friends around him, he was literally all here with them – but Luffy asked him?!

“No?”

“Do you want to come have supper with me and my brothers?”

 Was this happening? Law could feel his heart yammering madly in his chest

“…Wouldn’t I be intruding?”

“No! Koala’s going to be there too!” noted Luffy, smiling brightly – Law frowned and then he blushed. _He had no good reason to refuse_

“Okay. F-Fine.”

Law then turned and noticed that everyone had been watching them, smiles on their faces. As Law looked at them, they all turned away, pretending they hadn’t been listening all along

_Was this a fucking prank?!_

“Oye. Is something going on?” asked Law, frowning sharply – Luffy merely looked at him confused

“What are you talking about, Torao?”

“…How come you asked me when –“and then Law gestured slightly to Luffy’s group of friends – who all kept looking away as Law looked at them, whistling innocently

“Because I want to know you better!” replied Luffy, smiling brightly

 

Law’s the one that’s going to need a new heart at the end of this

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd there you have it! Next week is Ace's chapter but, that's because he's at the dinner!


	22. – ACE – I Didn’t Think ‘Weak In The Knees’ Was Actually A Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY BIG CHAPTER!
> 
> Soooo much happens in this chapter, but it's one many of you have been waiting for! Also a bunch of "new" characters! 
> 
> SIDE PAIRINGS!
> 
> Sabo x Koala  
> Hina x Tashigi

 

 

“Table for 5, please! And can it be in an isolated corner?”

Ace frowned, turning to look at Koala – confused as the waitress led them to their seat

“Huh?”

“I invited Luffy too! And Luffy said he’s bringing a friend”

Ace blinked, and then he turned red – _Shit_! Luffy had seen what went down in the mall! But knowing Luffy, he probably wasn’t going to bring it up. But maybe the friend? Luffy had been with his entire gang, Ace couldn’t wrap his head around Luffy just bringing _one_ of his friends if he had the option to bring all of them.

Who could Luffy possibly invite over everyone else?

“Ah! I see Luffy, I’ll wave him over!”

 

“Hi guys!! Man! What’s this place? Is it new?”

 

And there was Law Trafalgar, standing behind Luffy, looking out of place

“Yes! It opened just recently! It’s a make your own stir fry place! So basically, you grab a bowl and then you pick what ingredient and meat you want and they charge you per weight – but don’t worry about the payment, I got this tonight” explained Koala happily

“Eeerr…Koala, I don’t think you realize how much Luffy eats. Or Ace eats.” noted Sabo, worried – but Koala merely laughed

“What is with you guys? Please! Let me treat you all, you as well, Law!”

Ace noted that Law stiffened when his name was mentioned. They all sat down as the waitress took their drink order.

“So Luffy!  You could have brought more friends if you wanted to you know! I’m not that mean” said Koala, smiling brightly

“Koala, you can’t be that generous! You don’t need to kiss up that much, Luffy already adores you” hissed Sabo, making Ace laugh

Luffy shook his head and grinned brightly, throwing his arm around Law’s shoulder

“I wanted to bring Torao though! That way he can probably meet you guys!”

Ace blinked, then he lifted a brow – they had all met? But then again, it was always under weird circumstances – and he hadn’t told Luffy who he served that night he worked at the Baratie.

Koala smiled, saluting Law

“That’s a good idea! Hello! I’m Koala, last name not important, I’m currently majoring in social studies at Goa University and I’m also Sabo’s long-term girlfriend”

“You have an odd accent; you’re not from here, are you?” noted Law, frowning slightly

Koala laughed

“You got me!  I’m from a small town called Foolshoot; I guess I couldn’t hide the hick in me, huh?”

Law’s frown tightened a bit – as if he wasn’t buying it. But then he shrugged

“Am I any better with my accent?”

“Italian, right?” asked Sabo, taking a sip of his drink. Ace blinked, he didn’t even notice that the waitress had stopped by!

“Yeah. Originally, but I haven’t lived there since I was a kid.” Law then frowned again, frustration clearly welling up in him

 

“Okay. You know what? I’m feeling really played right now!”

 

Ace blinked at Law’s outburst. Technically, it made sense that he would get mad.  Law was aware that they all at least knew enough about each other.

“And this is why I asked for an isolated corner. How about we go prepare our bowls and openly talk, shall we? We’ll keep it to a minimum because we are still among others, but at least clear the air?” suggested Koala as she stood up, but before she walked away, she smiled warmly at Law

“Also Law, please don’t think we’re here to play you, we’re really not. We just want to get to know you better and this is the perfect chance to. I know how hard it is to suffer hardships and then be expected to just carry on as normal. We’re your friends, don’t worry.”

Law’s face instantly changed from one of anger to one of surprised. As if he had almost become docile. Ace blinked, surprised – and frankly a little scared at how well Koala handled the whole situation.

 

They quickly got their food ready and then went back to the table and sat down.

“Okay, so this is what I suggest – we all clear the air. Poor Law got dropped into this town and most of us know each other’s secrets, but he doesn’t – but we know a lot about you. So what I suggest, Law, how about you ask us any questions you want and we just answer? But we also get to ask you things”

Ace frowned sharply – this could be bad.

“Ace though has the right to remain quiet about one thing.” stated Sabo, without missing a beat – bless you, beautiful Sabo

“About his dad, right?” asked Luffy, munching on the rice that was left on the table while they were gone

_Goddamnit Luffy_!

“Well now I want to ask about his dad.” stated Law, slightly smirking _– you dick_!

“ _Forget it_.” stated Ace, frowning “But everything else is okay.”

Law paused, musing this over

“Fine. First question – how much do you guys know about me?”

“Well, you’re from Flevance.  Only survivor of the genocide that happened there, you then wound up joining the Donquixote gang, ran with them for a few years and then you and the Corazon escaped together. You managed to get your hands on the only cure for the White Lead Disease but it almost cost you both your lives. So now you’re technically hiding from Doflamingo here.” explained Koala, reading through her phone

“Okay, yeah, that’s the gist of it. Wait, how do _you_ know all of this?”

 

“I’m an information broker for the Revolutionary Army.”

 

Ace saw Law’s eyes pop open in shock

“The Revolutionary Army?!”

Sabo nodded

“Yeah, both me and Koala are in it – it’s how we met.”

“What’s your position?” asked Law, Ace could see that he’s still trying to wrap his head around the idea

“Chief of Staff and Second in Command.”

“ _What?!_ ”

Ace laughed

“I told you he wasn’t in a gang!”

“You guys are…” started Law, but then he whispered “ _Terrorists_?”

Sabo and Koala shrugged

“I guess you can call us that”

“Also Luffy’s dad is Dragon” pointed out Ace, gesturing to Luffy with his thumb

“As in _the_ Dragon?!” Law then turned to look at Luffy, who looked back at Law and smiled

“I never met him though!” stated Luffy as he kept eating the rice “I only found out he’s my dad last week.”

 

“Okay, question for you Law” started Sabo “What now? Like what do you plan to do now that you’ve escaped the Donquixote gang?”

Law paused; Ace could see he was thinking it over

 “I want to just…live. I plan on attending medical school. My parents owned a hospital and I used to be in a private Academy for Medicine back in Flevance, so being a doctor is my endgame, but I would like to personally concentrate on surgery.”

_Oh my god!_

Koala, Sabo and Ace just starred at Law stunned for a moment, before they turned to Luffy, smiling brightly

“Well done, Luffy!”

“A doctor! That’s like, the dream!”

“You picked very well, Luffy!”

Luffy tipped his head, staring at them confused

“Huh? What do you guys mean?”

Law was completely red, sitting in his charm, stunned – Ace couldn’t help but laugh

 

The food soon came and the conversation continued on a more pleasant note. Law seemed to have relaxed – quickly understanding that the people around him meant no harm. But Ace still felt a bit uneasy.

“How did you guys get involved with the Army anyways?” asked Law as he stuck a shrimp in his mouth

“Dragon saved my life.” stated Sabo, slightly touching the burn mark on his face “I couldn’t take living in High Town anymore and I tried to run away. Long story short, you’re apparently not supposed to cut off a Celestial Dragon, even if you are 10 years old. So I was convinced I was dead and Dragon came out of nowhere and saved me. And after that, he came to visit me nearly every day while I was recovering and I soon realized that his and mine ideals were the same – so I joined.”

“I’m a former slave.” stated Koala plainly, as if she was talking about the weather, making Law stop and stare at Koala, shocked. Ace continued eating – this wasn’t new information to him

“I was kidnapped when I was around 8 years old and brought to the holy island of Mariejois to be a slave there. When Tiger Fisher set the city on fire, I escaped with many of the other slaves and we held shelter in an island away from Mariejois. But a little while later, I was given to the Sun Pirates to be brought back to Foolshoot. Which they did - and I’m forever thankful for them to this day. But…things didn’t end well for the Sun Pirates after, and I felt really responsible. And after that whole ordeal, I just wanted to help people and stop things like this from happening. So, I met the right people and now here I am!”

“Wait…I heard that slaves of Mariejois have a-“started Law, but then stopped. Ace could tell that Law felt he was crossing a line

“You mean the brand? I did have it – but now it’s the Sun Pirate’s brand.” explained Koala proudly

Ace smiled into his drink. He loved how Koala was so proud of being an honorary member of an _actual_ pirate crew!

 

Law mused this information over, and then pointed one by one to Ace, Sabo and Luffy

“How come you guys say you’re brothers? Ace said not to talk about his Dad, but Luffy’s dad is Dragon. Sabo said he’s from High Town, so I don’t get how the three of you are brothers. If you were all adopted in the same household like me and Bepo, I’d get it but-“

“We’re not brothers by blood – we’re brothers in spirit!” explained Luffy happily

Ace chuckled “My mom died in childbirth. So since I had no living relatives, this guy who knew my dad took me and dumped me at this woman’s house and asked her to raise me. Fast-forward 10 years later, the same guy comes and dumps his 7 year old grandson at the same place. That’s how me and Luffy wound up living together. But no, we don’t share any blood. Well, not that I know of anyways.”

“I ran away from home when I was 5 and met Ace and we started to live together after a bit. We were inseparable since that day.” added Sabo, grinning

“And then we swore over cups of saké that no matter where life takes us – we’ll always be brothers!” finished Luffy, smiling brightly

Law blinked, and then he smiled a bit

“Oh, well now it makes sense. Because genetically, I couldn’t figure out how the hell the three of you were related. ”

“It’s because I’m white, isn’t it?” faked whined Sabo, making everyone at the table laugh

 

Soon enough they finished their food and Koala went up to pay. Ace tried multiple times to give her some money – but she refused.  Sabo soon had to leave so Koala offered to drive him home. Apparently she was allowed to borrow Hack’s car. Ace was sure she just wanted to be absolutely sure Sabo’s parents didn’t refuse to acknowledge her. Thankfully they never called the cops on her. Luffy insisted on walking Law home. Ace sighed – he’s kinda embarrassed now. His brother worked faster than he did with his crush – but Ace felt like he was going absolutely nowhere with his. Regardless of what Sabo said!

 

Ace made his way down the street, heading toward Jozu’s shop. Construction had started near since his store and Jozu had asked the guys if they needed a hand. They had said yes – but it would only be for labour. Only the trained professionals were allowed any of the planning but Ace was fine with that. He caught on quick and hard labour gave him a happy buzz

“Oh, there he is. Ace, over here!”

Ace grinned, jogging up to Jozu who was talking to a scruffy blond man

“This is Ace, the kid I was telling you about. Ace, this is Paulie. He’s with the Galley-La company and he’s gonna be your boss for tonight.”

“Hey, I’m Ace, nice to meet you!”

“Same, you ready to work hard, kid?”

Ace nodded

“Just tell me what to do, and I’m all yours!”

 

“So are you planning on becoming a foreman, Ace? Or just going to keep up with construction work?”

Ace blinked, mulling it over. He had already been hard at work for a few hours now and had gotten rather comfortable with the other workers

“You know what, Kaku, I never thought of it.”

Actually – he hasn’t really thought of what the hell he was going to do after high school. Well – _he did_. In the sense of he knew he wasn’t going for any post-secondary education. He figured he’d just continue being a Whitebeard. Huh. I guess he would need a job or something

“Well, if you ever want to join us full-time, we do apprenticeships and honestly, I don’t see Iceburg not taking you in.” added Paulie “You do good work, kid.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!”

“Wait – do you go to Goa High?” asked Kaku, passing Ace the wheelbarrow full of concrete blocks

“Yeah? Why?”

“I heard a wild rumour – is it true that a guy called Franky is teaching there now? Blue hair? Really loud? Wears usually a speedo?”

Before Ace could even answer – Lucci had approached them. The man hasn’t said a damn word since Ace arrived and frankly kinda creeped him out

“Uh yeah, he’s my metal works class teacher, the guy’s pretty cool.” replied Ace, confused

“Watch out around him! He’s a crook!”

“YO WHAT THE HELL, THAT PIGEON OVER THERE JUST TALKED!”

_What the fuck_ was going on?!

The pigeon came and landed on Lucci’s shoulder, making the other smirk while the other workers merely chuckled, used to it

“Oooh you’re a ventriloquist! Man that’s cool!”

“Haha, yeah.  Lucci’s really skilled at it – isn’t he? The bird’s name is Hattori” stated Kaku, laughing

“Alright guys! Enough chit-chat, back to work!” called out Paulie from the back as he walked by with some lumber

 

Work continued on for another hour or so, Ace quickly getting lost in his work as the cars drove by him. It was easily past midnight at this point, but night work was always so nice and calm, but the quiet was getting to him – so Ace was singing softly to himself as he worked

“-Then you walked in and my heart went …’boom’”

Ace gawked at the squad car that just passed him, eyes locking with the driver. It was -!

“ _Chase_?”

 

“Is something wrong, Ace?” asked Paulie, noticing Ace’s shocked expression on his face, but before Ace could reply the squad car pulled over and the Captain came out and walked up to Paulie

“Until what time is that one working?” asked Smoker, gesturing to Ace who looked dumbstruck

“Umm” started Paulie, looking at his watch “He’s got like, 10 minutes or so to go. Is there a problem, officer?”

Smoker shook his head slightly, lighting the cigar he just stuck in his mouth

“No, nothing like that. I just know him, so I’ll drive him home.” And then Smoker turned, looking at Ace, giving him the opening to turn him down

“Y-yeah. A ride home would be…great”

“ _Good_. I’ll be waiting in the car.” replied Smoker, making his way to his squad car and quickly getting in and closing the door.

Ace blinked. That was…different?

“What was that all about?” asked Lulu, walking up to Ace and Paulie

Ace smirked

“ _He’s my boyfriend_ ”

“Oh you _wish_!” stated Hattori before flying back to Lucci

“HEY!”

 

10 minutes had never gone by so slowly

Soon after, Paulie handed him over the envelope, but before Ace was able to leave, Paulie spoke up

“I was serious about the offer if you’re interested. Even part-time. You’ll have to get yourself a social security number, but once you got that – we’ll officially take you in. I don’t see the boss refusing you.”

“Thank you! Honestly, it sounds great”

“Also, do you mind if we contact you in case we ever need an extra hand? Ever since we relocated here, business has been booming, let me tell you! And not that Jozu isn’t a nice guy or anything, but he’s probably the scariest jewellery store owner ever and I’d rather not have to always go through him every time I need you.”

Ace laughed – Jozu had that effect on people. He was just really intense! He cuts you a gorgeous rock though if you need one. Aside from his fully diamond encrusted protective vest and armour, he did handle all the jewellery for the Whitebeards. Jozu and his wife owned a very successful jewellery store!

“Absolutely! Don’t even hesitate.”

 

Ace ran up to the squad car and quickly got into the passenger seat. He smiled sheepishly at the Captain, quickly buckling up

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting, you really didn’t have to offer me a ride like that, but I do really appreciate it.”

Smoker blinked, looking at Ace as if he had been distracted completely in his thoughts

“Why are you being so polite?”

_Because I’m nervous, damnit!_

“…Why are you smoking two cigars at once?”

“ _Because I can_.”

“Fair enough!”

Smoker sighed, starting up the car and started to drive

 

They rode in silence for a while, until Smoker spoke up

“Listen. I wanted to apologize. What Hina said…was completely out of line. It’s not like her usually to be like that, she was trying to purposely set me off and it pisses me off that you were the victim in all of this. It’s not okay.”

Ace blinked, surprised to hear all of that

“…Was it…Was it true though?”

Smoker paused, frowning

“…What part? _She said a lot_.”

“The part about me being your type?”

Ace smiled as Smoker blushed, chocking on his cigars and then coughing to try and hide it

“ _Goddamnit Hina_!” he hissed as Ace laughed

“It’s very flattering to hear though” noted Ace, wanting to diffuse the tension

“Ngh, can we not talk about it”

Ace sighed, but then he fake whined

“But I _want_ to talk about it!”

Smoker snorted, slightly shoving Ace on the arm

“Shut up or I’ll make you walk home”

“You wouldn’t – I’ll call the station and tell Tashigi what you did!”

“Too bad she’s not there – she’s babysitting Hina tonight.”

Ace snorted

“A woman like that needs a babysitter?”

“Fuck, she needs a whole battalion to make sure she doesn’t screw some poor bastard up. But she insisted on going out bar hopping with Tashigi.”

Ace blinked, and then he lifted a brow

“What…is going on between those two?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. Hina is pursuing her, but she’s in for a nasty surprise. Tashigi is one brilliant woman at her job – but is how can I put this…Stupid in the affairs of people.”

Ace laughed

“She won’t have a damn clue she’s being hit on, right?”

“Yep. That, right there. She won’t even have a damn clue. Hina will try to charm the pants of Tashigi, but she will never realize it.”

“Aww that’s a little sad too, maybe Tashigi likes her back and she’ll think that Hina isn’t interested because she isn’t catching on to Hina’s hints.”

Smoker paused, exhaling for a moment, and then he frowned

“I never thought of that. She never really showed any interest in dating at all.”

Ace chuckled slightly

“Well, neither did I until recently”

Smoker sighed; Ace could tell he wanted him to drop the topic. Ace smiled sadly to himself. He might as well, honestly. He was getting frustrated with hitting so many dead ends. Maybe he should just give up?

It wasn’t as if the Captain was going anywhere and Ace did enjoy his company. Maybe they could just be friends? Ace was starting to get afraid that if he pushed too much – he’d push the Captain out of his life. _Damn, he wishes he actually knew how to seduce someone_!

 

Soon enough they got to the path that lead to Ace’s house. Ace opened the car door and quickly walked over the Captain’s car door, only to back up as the other opened it

“Walking me to the door again?”

“Will I get to see the door this time?”

Ace paused, and then he sighed, smiling sheepishly

“It’s kinda a really embarrassing house. It’s all falling apart and shit.”

Smoker raised a brown

“You think I’d judge you for where you live?”

“No, more like I’d be afraid that I’d raise concerns and you’d have my family investigated by social services or something. I’d like to keep my family intact, if possible.”

Ace had no idea why he was suddenly babbling all of this!

Smoker paused again, slowly taking a deep drag from his cigars and exhaled

“Had I just met you – probably, yeah, I would have. But, I have the feeling that you’ve got the situation handled.”

Ace smiled brightly, and then he turned around

“Well, are you coming? I’m just _dying_ to show you the shack.”

Smoker laughed – causing more butterflies to go wild in Ace’s stomach

 

They walked a bit in silence; Ace’s eyes kept darting at the Captain. He looked like the other time when he had something to say, but he looked like he wasn’t sure how. Maybe he can help.

“A penny for your thoughts? You look like you want to ask me something”

Smoker sighed

“Yeah, you busy next weekend?”

Ace blinked – surprised at the question

“Um, I have the Homecoming dance on Friday night, but that’s about it, really. I’ve got no jobs lined up.”

Smoker grunted slightly, Ace’s stomach was going wild with anticipation – _what was this about_?

“I’m going out of town” started Smoker

_Eh?_

“But Justice doesn’t handle long distances very well, and I think for her sake, it would be easier for her just to stay home. Especially considering we just moved here – so I was wondering if-“

“ _Oh hell yeah I’ll take care of her_!” cut in Ace, grinning brightly – he loved taking care of dogs so much!  Shit he’d blow off the dance if it meant more dog time!

Smoker blinked, and then he laughed softly

“It’s only from Saturday morning to Sunday night. I’ll give you the keys to my place – but I swear to god, Portgas _. No funny business_. You feed her, take her out for walks and to do her business and make sure she’s fine. _That’s it._ ”

Ace fake whined

“But I wanted to look through your stuff to see a photo of you as a kid! I want to know what your hair colour used to be!”

“ _It was always this colour_.”

“What? No way! That’s cool!”

“So, you’ll do it? I’ll pay you.”

Ace shook his head

“Nonsense, just stock up the fridge and we’re even. I use my money mostly for food anyways.”

“Fine, we have a deal.”

 

A few steps later, they had reached the house and Ace groaned – he didn’t remember it looking that shitty this morning.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding”

Ace whined, looking at the Captain

“I didn’t pick this place!”

Smoker chuckled softly, ruffling up Ace’s hair

“Don’t worry – I’ve seen much worst on tour.”

Ace paused, looking at Smoker

“Thank you for walking me to my door – you really didn’t have to.”

“Why are you being so polite again?”

“ _Because I’m really nervous_.”

“Why are you nervous?”

_Time to go for it! Damn Koala, you better not have led me wrong!_

Ace put his hand on Smoker’s arm, making the other blink, looking at Ace confused. Ace extended his feet, standing on the tip of his toes as he slowly made his way up. He could feel Smoker’s eyes on him, his body tensing up as Ace got closer and closer. And then, he gave a small peck on Smoker’s cheek, quickly pulling back

“Goodnight, Captain.” said Ace, smiling as he backed up and turned around, feeling himself go completely red and ready to go inside the house,  not wanting to look at Smoker’s face

 

“ _Wait._ ”

Ace turned around, saw the Captain stub out his cigars on a tree trunk, and quickly walked up to Ace, grabbing his face.

Ace froze – was he going to punch him??

“ _This_ is how you give a goodnight kiss”

Ace could literally feel his knees buckling as the Captain kissed him right on his mouth. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to melt within the touch as he kissed back.

This had to be a dream – a very elaborate dream.

The Smoker’s smell overwhelmed him in that moment and then suddenly it was gone.

Ace blinked, surprised as the Captain pulled back and took a step back – it thrilled Ace to see his flushed cheeks.

_Yeah, he was gay_

“Goodnight, Portgas.” stated the Captain as he started to walk away

“Goodnight” replied Ace dreamingly, but then he snapped out of it

_No! It wasn’t ending like this!_

 

“Wait, stop!” cried out Ace, making the Captain turn around. Ace ran up to Smoker, throwing his arms around Smoker’s neck, kissing him hard. Smoker easily caught Ace, turning around and pushing him up against a tree as he kissed back with the same intensity. Usually Ace would joke that he didn’t want tree bark in his ass – but this was beyond not the time. Ace could feel the Captain’s hand on the small of his back, pulling him in closer. Good thing the Captain was holding him up because Ace couldn’t feel his legs anymore. He could feel Smoker’s teeth slightly nip his lips between breaths as they kept kissing. Ace pushed his tongue into the other’s mouth, thrilled that he could finally do so. He trailed his hand down Smoker’s chest, taking the time to feel the strong muscles under the straining shirt. Ace purred softly into the kiss as the Captain’s other hand was in his hair, pulling him in closer, deepening the kiss and then -

And then the Captain pushed him off?!

“I shouldn’t be doing this!” cried out the Captain, rubbing his face

Excuse me what? _Oh fuck no!_

“No! You can’t just say that! Not after we just made out against a tree!”

“No, I mean – _I’m not being paid to be making out right now! I’m on the clock!_ ” hissed back Smoker, his face entirely red

Oh.

“…Maybe I’m drowning and need artificial respiration?”

“ _You’re drowning in the middle of a forest_?”

Ace laughed, realizing how absurd his suggestion was once the Captain highlighted it. Smoker sighed, smiling softly at Ace’s laughter boomed through the forest

“Maybe I’m just that talented!”

“Portgas.”

Ace stopped laughing, walking up to the Captain

“Look. I just…I want to know…where this is going…if it’s going anywhere?” asked Ace, struggling to find the words

“…I like you. A lot.” admitted Smoker, looking to the side, completely embarrassed “But, you’re young and –“

“Do you really think someone who makes me live in that shack is really finicky about legal matters?”

“You make an excellent point”

“Nobody’s going to call the cops. And if they did – it would be weird since you’re the Captain”

Ace thought he would never get over the sound of Smoker’s laugh

“Also, like I said, many times before, I’m turning 18 next year”

“Yeah in what, November?”

“No, January 1rst.”

Smoker blinked, looking at Ace stunned – as if he didn’t know what to say

“So literally in-“

“Like 3 months, yeah. Also my parents are dead, so who’s going to press charges anyways? Dadan? Please, you’d have to bring her dead body in a bodybag to the police station for her to ever go there.”

“Ace, if we do this, we have to keep this private. You can’t announce it; act upon it in public, change your Facebook status – none of it! Dates will have to be in private locations or if we’re out in public, then we just act like friends!”

Ace heart was about to stop – _he was actually going to be dating the Captain_! Maybe he should stop calling him the Captain in his head? Chase. _He was going to be dating Chase_! He couldn’t wait to tell S- Oh wait – shit!

“I can’t keep secrets from my brothers though. That’s the only thing. We swore on that years ago.”

Smoker frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then nodded

“Three.”

“Huh?”

“ _You can only tell three people_.”

Ace smiled, that was one more than he had brothers!

“Tell them what~?” asked Ace, singsong-ly, wanting to hear it come out of Smoker’s mouth

“…That we’re seeing each other?” offered Smoker, a little confused

Ace grinned brightly at Smoker; he swore if this was an anime, he’d have flowers floating by his head with how happy he felt

“Yeah we are!”

Smoker laughed, shaking his head and then he leaned down and kissed the top of Ace’s hair

“Goodnight Ace. We’ll talk about this more another time.”

“Give me your phone!” suggested Ace, sticking out his hand “I’ll give you my number!”

Smoker grunted, taking out his phone and handing it over to Ace after he unlocked it and Ace quickly added his number to Smoker’s contacts – the little numbers he had.

He did though frown slightly at the entry which the name was simply ‘ **.** ’

“There! Just shoot me a text and I’ll add you to mine. And we can hammer out all the details, about this and me taking care of Justice.”

Smoker blushed slightly as he stared at Ace’s number in his phone, smiling before the closed it and stuck it back in his pocket

“I need to get back to the station. They’re going to wonder where I am.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”

Smoker blinked, raising a brow

“Why?”

“To bring you your coffee”

“Ace, you don’t need – there’s no arguing with you is there? But seriously, I’m not going to be in tomorrow morning.”

“Nope, not all. So Monday morning then! Goodnight, Chase!”

Smoker froze slightly at hearing his name, and then relaxed, smiling as he shook his head as he stuck a new cigar in his mouth, lighting it as he walked away

“Goodnight, Ace”

 

Ace watched as Smoker walked out of his sight and then threw his arms out in the air

“YES!”

He felt like he was on top of the world! He was so excited to tell Luffy and Sabo and-

Oh.

Oh SHIT!

_Who the hell would be the third person?!_

FUCK!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH HO HOHO WHO WILL BE THE THIRD PERSON??  
> Well, I know, BUT WHO WILL IT BEEE?? 
> 
> Also next week - you guys wanted an update on Doffy right? RUH ROH


	23. -CORAZON- It Is My Role As A Parent To Embarrass You So Deal With It! (That Isn’t Foreshadowing At All!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a super busy weekend ahead of me (cries deadlines and social events) so to make sure I don't forget to update the fic, I'll do it now!
> 
> Warning - a lot of canon information is going to be regurgitated in this chapter, I have no choice, they're sharing information but I tried to keep it a minimum!

 

 

“Wow, you guys ordered pizza? How did Law ever agree to that?”

 

Bepo, Shachi and Penguin looked up behind the couch stunned – apparently they hadn’t noticed Cora coming in as they had been too distracted with whatever game they were playing on the PS4

“Oh, he texted me saying he wasn’t coming over for supper, so we decided why the hell not! Otherwise we wouldn’t have.” explained Bepo

“Yeah, like, Law wouldn’t have forbidden us or something, but we would have felt bad, you know – do you want a slice, Mr.Cora?” asked Shachi, holding up the box. Cora chuckled, waving the box away

“Naw, it’s fine, thank you though.”

“Cora doesn’t like bread, so pizza’s a no-go for him” explained Bepo, taking another box off the coffee table and holding up for Cora “Chicken bites?”

“That” started Cora, taking one from the box “I will take. So where’s Law if he’s not here with you guys?”

_He better not be in trouble!_

“Umm, he said Luffy invited him out for supper but that’s the only details I got”

_What?_

“Uh…what? Like, Luffy invited just him?”

_Whoah. Was Law on a date?_

Penguin put down the PS4 controller on the coffee table and stared at the rest of them, shocked

“ _Guys – what if Law’s on a date_?”

Oh good! Someone else brought it up!

“What? With Luffy? No way! I haven’t seen Luffy even remotely look interested in dating anyone!” pointed out Shachi, leaning in

“Wait! That might actually be possible! He’s always looking for Law and hanging around him as much as possible!” added Bepo

“Whoah, so you guys are saying there’s a _remote possibility that Law and Luffy are dating_? And Law didn’t tell me? Or Bepo?”

_He better not be_ – or Cora’s going to let him have it! Like, yeah, Law was allowed a private life – but dating?! He at least gets to know if Law is dating someone!!

“Hmm, you’re right, that doesn’t sound like Law” remarked Shachi, leaning back on the couch, his hand on his chin

“Oh! Law’s coming up the walkway now!”

Cora turned around and watched as Law walked up to the walkway slowly, chatting with Luffy who seemed to be complimenting the house. Cora walked up to the window, tucking himself to the side and hiding behind the curtain – watching the scene unfold

“Man, I wish I knew what they were saying!”

Cora blinked, when did Shachi get there behind him?

“Oooh man, this looks like a date – you think they’re gonna kiss?” added Penguin from between Cora’s legs. Cora frowned; he didn’t know how he felt about Law _kissing_ Luffy.  Or anyone really!

“Guys! Shut up! Stop distracting Cora! He can’t read their lips otherwise!” whined Bepo, who was now also behind with the two others

_Oh yeah, he was really good at that!_

“Umm, Luffy’s just going on about how nice the house is so far. Saying how he’s so lucky to live in such a nice place.”

“Yeah, Luffy lives in the crappiest section of town, so I’m not surprised” noted Bepo. Cora nodded, not looking away from the two

“Law’s thanking him for inviting him to dinner”

_Wow, Law looks really nervous_

“Luffy’s telling him that he’s happy that Law came, and he was glad that he finally met his brothers and Koala.”

_Supper with the family?! Are they dating?!_

“Law’s saying that he would reciprocate but his family is a bunch of nosy bastards who can’t mind their own da- SHIT! _Law saw us_! We’re compromised! Soldiers down!”

All four of them moved away from the window – Cora started to laugh when he recalled the pissed off face that Law just did. Then he smirked

_Oh, he had an idea._

Cora giddily skipped to the light switch by the door and grinned brightly at the three teenagers

“Wanna piss off Law even more?”

All four of them giggled as Cora started to open and close the light switch, snickering as they heard Law burst the front door open

 

“You’re seriously flickering the fucking porch lights?! _How old are you_?!”

All four of them stared at Law for a moment in silence before they burst out laughing – making Law turn scarlet, completely embarrassed

“ _You’re all a bunch of freaking assholes_!”

Shachi and Penguin both pulled Law into a side hug, Law in-between the two

“Aww, don’t be like that! We should be pissed at you! Secretly dating Luffy”

Cora watched as Law’s eyes widen considerably as he looked completely shocked

“I’m…I’m not dating Luffy? Why do you think I’m dating Luffy?”

Huh?!

“Uh, the dinner date with his family?” pointed out Shachi

“I didn’t know that’s what it was when he invited me!”

“He walked you to your door!” exclaimed Penguin

“He wanted to see where I lived!”

Cora couldn’t freaking believe this – Law probably wasn’t aware that he and Luffy were courting each other!

 

“ _Why are you laughing_?”

Cora snorted, trying to hold in his laughter, shit, he didn’t realize he had been laughing!

“I’m sorry! It’s just; you’re so so smart Law, but also sometimes _, so so dumb_ ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” yelled Law, obviously really mad now, but Cora lifted his hands and shook his head

“It’s nothing, truly. Luffy seems like a nice kid, that’s all.”

Cora knew that arguing with Law right now was beyond pointless.  Law huffed, frowning as he glared at Cora. Penguing and Shachi laughed, putting on their shoes at the door

“We’re going to head out! Bepo said you guys had important stuff to talk about tonight, so we won’t hold you up – but Law! Tomorrow! Movies! Don’t forget!”

Law nodded, Cora could see that he was cooling down somewhat. One thing about Law is that he never stayed mad for very long unless you did something pretty bad – then he can hold a grudge like no other.

“You guys don’t have to go!” Cora felt bad, he felt like he was kicking them out!  But Shachi and Penguin waved him off

“No, no, it’s okay! We need to get going since we have homework and unlike Law and Bepo, we’re not big nerds that got it done on Friday night” teased Penguin, making Law flip him off

Shachi and Penguin quickly left and Law turned to Cora, looking a bit tired

“Do you mind if we get changed before we start the chat, Cora? I have a feeling that this chat is going to be a long one”

Cora smiled softly and nodded – getting changed would be a good idea.

 

Soon enough they had all gotten changed into their pyjamas and Cora had fixed them all a tea to drink. He knew he didn’t want to go in excruciating details, but the boys needed to at least hear the key points. Cora sat on the coffee table, facing the two boys on the couch. He was leaned forward, his hands on his face. Cora really hoped they wouldn’t think of him differently after this

“Okay. So, I guess I should start with the beginning. So, I was born on the island of Mariejois and-“

Cora could feel his throat sink in his stomach as he watched Bepo and Law’s eyes bulge out of their heads

“You were a slave?! I call bullshit! I’ve seen you naked and you don’t have the mark!” accused Law, looking annoyed

Cora blinked, oh. He never thought they would go right to slave

“Oh, no, I wasn’t a slave. We had slaves though. I think? I don’t know, I was really young and thought they were just nice people who helped me when I got caught in stuff.”

“Cora…that means…you’re a-!” started Bepo, Cora knew it sunk in

“You’re a Celestial Dragon?!” finished Law, shocked as well

“Well _, I was_! But I was really small when I stopped being one though!”

“How does one stop being a Celestial Dragon?” asked Bepo quietly, confused by the whole thing

“Well, my parents decided they wanted to live like regular people. They told me once; we are all born as humans so we should live as thus. But the minute you leave Mariejois for good – you’re stripped of everything and you can’t come back.” explained Cora, just speaking of his parents was causing Cora to choke up a little bit – he could feel his voice cracking slightly. Deep down, he truly wishes they could have met Law and Bepo, knowing them – they would have loved both the boys.

“Cora…Are you okay?” asked Law quietly. Cora shook his head, smiling softly

“Sorry, talking about my parents get a bit hard at times. Anyways, so we left Mariejois. Personally I was too young to really remember much aside from my weird outfit and my weird hairdo but we moved to a nice house inland, not sure where originally and things were good for a small while but when people caught on to whom we used to be – they got violent.”

The colour in Law and Bepo’s faces drained, they clearly could tell where the tale was going

“How…How bad, Cora?”

“Well. We were chased out of the house and went into hiding. But, soon enough, we would be caught and would have to run more. I went days without food, got almost beaten to death over a stolen loaf of bread –“

“Is that why you don’t like bread?” asked Law

“Haha, yeah, I kinda lost the taste for it. But honestly, I ate out of trashcans for a few years. And then my mother died from the shitty conditions we lived in. After that, we were caught by the town’s people and they tortured us until we escaped. One day, Doffy ran off, he came back soon after with a gun and he killed our father, cut off his head and tried to take it back to Mariejois apparently to be let back in.”

“So…that’s what he meant…about killing another family member.” mused Law

“Wait wait, how old are you in all of this?” asked Bepo, Cora could hear the fear in Bepo’s voice “And how are you able to talk about this so casually?!”

“ _A lot of counselling_. Umm, 8? Yeah, I was 8.”

“I thought there was only two years between you and Doflamingo?”

“There is!”

“He killed his own father at 10?!”

“Yeah, I think he met Trebol and Vergo when he ran off and they planted ideas in his head, but I’m not sure, Doffy has always been um, susceptible, I guess you can say. But I don’t know, because I ran away.”

“Is that when you met Sengoku?” asked Bepo as he sipped some tea

“Yeah! That’s exactly when! Due to the violent disturbances, the World Government sent agents to see what was going on in the town I was in – and that’s when Sengoku found me wondering around, crying my eyes out.”

“Weren’t you scared of being caught again?” pointed out Law, frowning

“Honestly? I was so lost and scared that I don’t even think I processed that idea. I just needed to gone from there, from him. So I ran.”

Law frowned, looking down. Cora sighed softly, smiling a bit.

“I never realized how alike we were”

Cora blinked, surprised to hear that

“What do you mean? You lived through a genocide!”

“Yeah, I was being persecuted for my illness – you for where you were born. You can’t convince me that your parents weren’t as kind as you. Basically these people decided to attack someone, _children to boot_ , who were born in a different rank of life and because _those_ people treated them like shit, they decided to punish _your family that did nothing wrong.”_

Cora smiled softly and shrugged

“I have tried my entire life to truly understand why people would do such a thing. But sometimes when you’re in pain, you lash out.”

“So, after that, what happened?” asked Bepo, looking at Cora, excited to hear more. Cora chuckled

“Well, Sengoku took me back to the main base of the World Government; got the full story out of me as much as possible and then he agreed to take me in as his ward. Not even a year later, he officially adopted me. At first I was kept at the base with him, I had some, ah trauma to work through with many counsellors. But soon enough, once I was officially adopted, he enrolled me in school and I would spend my summers in Japan with his parents. Aside from that, I enrolled in the World Government forces once I was done high school, did my training, served as a soldier, did my time and then I got assigned my mission to take down Doffy about a year before Law showed up.”

“Honestly the fact that you’re fluent in Japanese in hilarious because you’re as white as you could possibly be.” pointed out Law, making Cora laugh

“Yeah believe me! My nickname was ‘Ooki Gaijin’ in Japan, I know! So, that’s basically it for me? Unless you guys have questions?”

“I can’t believe you were born a Celestial Dragon, Cora! That’s insane!”

“And now it makes sense why Doflamingo is the way he is. But, how did you-?”

_Turn out the way you did?_ Cora could hear the end of the question without Law even saying it

“Well, people lashed out against me because of what other people did to them. So I could have continued the cycle of abuse and gone off to hurt people myself – but I didn’t want to. I can never forget how it hurt to be hung outside of a window as arrows flew past my head. I could never forget how it felt for adults to be kicking and beating the shit out of me. Why would I want to inflict that kind of pain on someone else? I wanted to help people – which is why I enlisted in the first place.”

Law nodded, accepting the answer and frowning a bit to himself. Cora leaned forward, putting his hand on Law’s arm –

“You’re not him, Law. You weren’t and you will never be either.”

“Yeah, _because of you_.”

Cora chuckled softly, shaking his head

“No, because you’re a good person, regardless.” Then Cora turned to Bepo and smiled

“How about you, Bepo? What’s your big story?”

Bepo blinked, surprised to have been asked, but then he smiled

“Okay! Well, I was born in a place called Zou and-“

 

After Bepo had finished his story, Cora smiled as how comfortable the air in the room was. This had been a good idea. Now he felt completely awful that he had to ruin it.

“So, now that the air’s been cleared –“

“I feel like I spent all day doing that”

Cora blinked, oh yeah!

“How was your day at Zoro’s?”

“Oh! It was great actually! Until his sister asked me out while I was stitching my- Uh, I mean. Shit.”

Cora saw red

“Stitching your what?! Why were you stitching yourself up?!”

“Well, uh, it’s not that bad! And I fixed it myself!”

“Let me see it!”

“Cora it’s okay, it’s”

“LET ME SEE IT!”

Law sighed and removed his shirt, looking to the side as the stitches stood out on Law’s shoulder, still red and swollen

_Oh my god-_ Cora _knew_ what caused a wound like that!

“…Law. You’re going to tell me the truth now. _Were you and Zoro fighting with actual swords_?”

Law paused for a moment, rolling his tongue in his cheeks before he sighed, slightly nodding his head down

“Yes”

“And why the hell did you think that was a good idea?!”

“Because at one point, bokkens don’t get you ready for the real thing!”

“And at one point do you think you’ll need to _actually use a sword_?!”

“Because I’m better with a sword and I’m crappy with guns!”

“Why would you need any of that? Law! You don’t need to worry about being protected! That’s my job! I’m supposed to protect you and Bepo!”

 

“ _Then who the hell is going to protect you_?! I will not have you die on me again, Cora!  I won’t!”

 

Cora paused, slightly pulling back

The Captain had been right. Law wasn’t concerned about his own safety – _it was Cora’s that he was concerned with_! Cora didn’t know how to handle that at all, his heart sunk

“Law.” started Cora, speaking in a soft voice “I’m not in danger”

“But you will be!” replied Law, Cora could see the desperation on Law’s face and it broke his heart. Bepo stayed quiet during the exchange.

“Law. Listen – Doffy doesn’t want me. He wants _you_.”

“How do you even know that for sure?!”

“Because he friended me on skype last night and told me to give you this.”

Cora stood up as Law’s jaw gaped and he walked over to his briefcase and pulled out the papers he had printed and walked back to the couch and handed them over to Law

“He friended you on skype?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“It was that skype message you told me about. It was his friend request.”

“And you accepted?”

“Of course I did! I wasn’t passing up a chance to keep an eye on Doffy, I’m not an idiot!”

Law huffed, looking through the papers and frowned sharply

“These are nothing but fucking music notes! What does this even mean?”

“I don’t know. All he said was ‘Give this to Law for me. It reminded me of him’ and pictures of music sheets and then he logged off. I was going to try and find something who can read music to tell me what’s the song, but I haven’t had the ch-“

“I’ll do it.” cut off Law, looking at the music notes “The teacher in charge of my club is a world class musician. I’m sure that not only could he play this – but he’ll be the best bet to recognizing this song.”

Cora frowned, and then he sighed, sitting down on the coffee table, feeling dejected

“Monday is like, too long. The stress is going to kill me.”

Law sighed “Hey, at least we now have some sort of lead about Doflamingo. It’s better than just wondering when the hell he’s going to pull something”

“I guess that’s true.”

It was just really annoying, it felt like –

“It just feels like he’s toying with you guys”

Cora blinked , looking at Bepo that had been quiet for a bit. Shit. Cora was used to himself being in danger, even Law _but not Bepo_!

“Bepo. If you don’t want to get involved with any of this, I’m sure arrangements could be m-“

“No! We’re a family, Cora! I want to stay with you guys!” cried out Bepo desperately. Cora smiled warmly

“Yeah, we’re a family. But, be careful, okay?”

Bepo smiled proudly

“I got this, Cora! I’m a black belt remember!”

Cora smiled fondly and leaned forward to hug both Law and Bepo tightly, he loved them both so much  


“Ow! Cora! My shoulder!”

Oh right – _he had to kill this one first_

Cora pulled back slightly and glared at Law

“Next time you feel like playing with sharp things – mind letting me know first? I don’t want you worrying in secret!”

Law frowned sharply

“You kept Doflamingo’s skype message a secret all day!”

“You had plans! I didn’t want to bring it up at breakfast and ruin your day!”

“Okay. New deal – if you get any messages from Doflamingo, you show them to me ASAP!”

“On the condition that you’re not sleeping.”

“Condition revoked if it’s urgent?”

“Deal. If I get any more messages from Doflamingo, I let you know ASAP and show it to you unless you’re sleeping and if you are, I wake you up if it’s urgent only. Because knowing my brother, he’s going to say completely absurd shit to make me mad.”

“And you involve Bepo!” added Law, pointing to Bepo

“And Bepo is involved.”

“Okay, deal.” replied Law as he stuck out his hand. Cora chuckled, Law allowed so little amount of people to actually touch his hands.

“Deal.” Then Cora smiled brightly “Now, how about you guys tell me about your days!”

“Before that, I want to buy a nodachi. My own nodachi.”

Cora sighed, he knew this was coming

“Fine. We can do that.”

“What seriously?!” replied Law shocked “I figured I’d have to fight you on this!”

“Truth be told, the threat is real now and if you’re going to be doing it, you’ll do it properly. But we’ll set something up with Tashigi okay? I want you to buy a great one if you’re going to have one.”

Law smiled brightly

“Thank you, Cora!”

Cora just hoped that Law would never need to actually use it

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! Yeah, I could have gone into more details about Bepo but we still know so little about him?? I'm hoping we get more into him down the line (because I'm bias) but who knows? 
> 
> Next week - we're back to Ace and we'll see who are his three people he picks! (and the consequences of that!)


	24. – ACE – Remind Me To Never To Piss You Off (Women Are Scary!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND IT WILL FINALLY BE REVEALED WHO THE THIRD PERSON IS!!
> 
> Not much to say this week, I'm going out tomorrow night after work, so posting it slightly early because otherwise it'll be late!

 

 

“I’m glad you could all join me here this morning”

“You’re being awful friendly for a server, sir.”

Ace gave Sabo a dirty look as he chuckled which made Luffy laugh brightly. Usually, he’d do anything for his brothers, anything at all, but right now, he wanted to strangle them both

“I’m trying to be serious! I have to tell you guys this now while the dinner is empty!”

Dadan thankfully was in the front with Makino – when the two became tight he’d never know, but he was able to wrangle both Luffy and Sabo free from their obligations this morning so that he could tell them the big news. He wanted to text Sabo originally, but he felt this was news he needed to announce in person. Makino had asked him to work the morning serving shift and he wasn’t going to say no to Makino!

“Alright, alright, no more kidding around. What’s up, Ace? You seem so serious this morning.”

Ace smirked, putting his hands on his hips

“Koala’s advice worked!”

Sabo blinked slowly, trying to figure out what the hell that even meant, but then his eyes went wide as his jaw went slack

“What? No way! Seriously?”

Luffy looked at both of his brothers, utterly confused

“Tell me what happened!”

“Well, last night as I was working a job for the Galley-La company, Chase offered me a ride home. And then –“

“Wow, you call him _Chase_ now? You move fast, Ace” teased Sabo with a low whistle. Ace growled, kicking he booth on the side that Sabo was sitting – making the other laugh

“Who’s Chase?” asked Luffy, Ace could tell that he was already getting bored. Might as well keep it short and sweet for this one – he’ll elaborate more for Sabo later

“Captain Smoker.”

“Oh Smokey!”

_Oh god Luffy_

“So anyways, we kissed, now we’re going out, the end.”

 

“Like, _for real_? Like, _he’s your boyfriend_?”

Ace grimaced; he wasn’t sure how Smoker felt about being called his boyfriend

“Ah…we’re dating for now.”

Sabo nodded

“That makes sense, and I’m assuming this is to be kept low-key?”

“I can only tell three people.”

Sabo paused, frowning

“Rather specific number.”

“Yeah, but considering his job and everything-“

“No, it makes sense. Aside from us, who else are you telling?”

Ace sighed, taking a seat besides Sabo

“Yeah, see, that was my main issue last night. Since you guys were a given, but I have to tell someone who won’t need to report it to someone else, you know?”

“ _So, no Marco is what you’re saying.”_

Ace smiled awkwardly. Sabo thankfully caught on.

“So, what are you going to do about your third?”

Ace sighed, leaning his face in his hand

“I’m going to tell Pops. But Pops alone. So now I have to figure out how the hell can I go talk to Pops without Marco around and without Marco figuring out that I’m trying to talk to Pops without him.”

Sabo frowned, leaning back in the booth

“Hmm, maybe text Newgate?”

Ace shook his head

“All texts and calls are redirected to Marco’s phone. He’s really on top of everything.”

“Is it that big of a deal if Marco and Pops knew?”

“Sabo, it’s the _only_ thing he asked of me.” admitted Ace. If this thing between him and the Captain was going to happen, he needed to be good.

“No, I completely understand.”

 

“Ace! A table just walked in, do you mind taking them?” asked Makino from the counter, Ace stood up

“Sure, I got this!”

Ace quickly went up to the table at the other end of the restaurant, apparently they wanted peace and quiet today too

“Good morning, welcome to Patty’s Bar, can I start you with something to drink – oh!”

 

Lo and behold, there sitting in front of him was none other than Smoker, Tashigi and Hina. But Tashigi and Hina looked completely wrecked

“…I’m guessing coffee, right?”

Smoker snorted, trying not to laugh as Tashigi and Hina both glared at him

“Yes, coffee for everyone.” confirmed Smoker, unable to stop smirking

“Oh, this is why you-“ started Ace, but then trailed off. Smoker had texted him this morning to remind him not to bother bringing him coffee because he was going out for breakfast anyways – Ace didn’t expect him to come here!

“Yeah, it’s why. I figured you’ve had me on a steady consumption of this place’s coffee; I might as well try out the place myself. And these two need grease.”

Tashigi groaned, laying her head on the table. Hina looked a little better, but Ace wasn’t sure – she was wearing massive sunglasses and had her hair tied in a meticulous messy bun as she rocked a pristine white romper. Ace thought that Izo was the only one who truly perfected that meticulous messy bun

“Hey wait, you’re that boy.” started Hina, pointing to Ace. Apparently she had just noticed him and then she turned to Smoker, pointing at Ace

“Look, it’s that boy you like.”

Smoker frowned, eyes narrowing at Hina

“Thank you, Hina. Everyone here is aware of that information.”

Ace blinked, surprised and straightened up. He couldn’t help the smile that was growing on his face at the Captain so bluntly admitting that

Hina paused, frowning slightly

“Hina’s confused. He knows?”

“How could he have not after your display yesterday?!” growled Smoker, obviously pissed

“Haha, that was my masterpiece.”

 “I should have left your drunk ass outside last night.”

“Hina would have broken in. Don’t care about your windows.”

“Wait, how does Ace know? Wait, Captain, you know too?!”

Ace blinked at Tashigi, who looked at both of them shocked. Smoker frowned

“Did you seriously think I hadn’t realized that I liked the boy? Do you think I’m a child or some- Hina. Shut up.”

Hina sat there and chuckled. Apparently she enjoyed annoying the Captain

“I’ll go get your coffees!” and Ace turned to go grab them all a cup of coffee

 

“Ace wait.”

Ace paused and turned around, looking at the group

“Is this a wait like last time or-?”

Smoker laughed, making butterflies flutter in Ace’s stomach

“No, nothing like that, but I figure with two out of three here, I might as well”

“Ah-!”

“Tashigi, Hina. As of last night, Ace and I are seeing each other. I expect you both to be _discreet_ about this.”

“O-Oh! Congratulations!” said Tashigi, smiling

“Wow, you finally took my advice, you stubborn old mule.” replied Hina, then she turned to Ace

“Coffee.”

“On it!” replied Ace as he ran off, smiling. He couldn’t believe that Smoker had told them!

 

Ace quickly brought them coffee and breakfast to his own brothers. Slowly and surely, the place started to fill up which kept Ace too busy to really spend any time with Smoker. During his shift thought, while at the dress up counter, his phone vibrated. He looked at it and he frowned sharply. Oh god no.

“What’s that face for?”

Ace turned around and was face to face with the Captain

“Chase! I ah, just got a pic of the tux I’m wearing for the Homecoming dance.”

“It’s ugly?”

“It’s really boring looking.”

“So it’s probably a very nice looking suit and you’ll look great in it, not like a peacock desperate to be noticed.”

Ace gasped, looking at the Captain shocked

“Please sir, with my preference to orange; I am very much a traffic cone!”

Smoker laughed again making Ace smile as he leaned in slightly. Not enough to touch the Captain, but enough to feel his body heat

“Did you tell your three people?”

“Actually, I told two out of three just before you did. My brothers are in the booth over there!”

Smoker craned his neck slightly and looked over

“Ah, yes, I see Sabo. Assuming the other one is Luffy?”

“Yeah, that’s them, do you want to meet them?” asked Ace, a little hopeful, it would be nice for everyone to meet everyone  


“Actually Ace, do you mind if we borrow him for a moment? I’d like to have a chat _alone_ with him. And Luffy.”

Ace blinked, when did Sabo get here?!

“Actually this is perfect, because we’d like to steal Ace for a moment ourselves. We spoke to the woman in charge – she said it was fine if we held up Ace for a moment.”

Hina?! Ace blinked, shocked – he didn’t even hear her come up behind him!

Ace whimpered “Sabo…Please, don’t scare him away”

Smoker frowned, raising a brow as Sabo chuckled

“Perfect! So we agree!” and then Sabo smirked as he grabbed Smoker’s arm and dragged him away to the booth with Luffy

_Oh god_

“Come along.” ordered Hina as she walked back to her booth, Ace quietly following, as he kept looking back towards the booth.

 

Once Ace got to the booth, he sat across from Hina and Tashigi. Tashigi blinked, looking surprised

“What’s going on?”

“We’re going to give Ace the talk.”

“If you’re talking about the birds and the bees, I know how it works” quipped Ace, trying to hide the nervousness building up in him

Hina glared at Ace

“Shut up. You know what I mean. What’s your intentions with Chase?”

Ace blinked slowly – he can’t say he was expecting this from the friends of his adult boyfriend…lover? Crush? Eh

“I like him?” offered Ace weakly, not sure what to answer

“I told you Ace had no ulterior motives” said Tashigi, gesturing to Ace “He’s so genuine and honest and straightforward. Aside from being in the Whitebeard gang, he’s a really good kid”

Hina frowned

“I’m not taking any chances. I will not have Chase’s heart be broken again because some fool decides to jump into this so quick. They only met a few weeks ago.”

Ace blinked, taken aback. The Captain’s heart had been broken?

“Do you mind me asking why the relationship ended?” _That’s it, Portgas, be cool_

Hina lifted a brow

“The man couldn’t handle how devoted Chase was to his work.”

_Oh!_

Ace smiled brightly

“I admire Chase’s work ethics a lot, actually! People often accuse me of having too full of schedule and I’ve always been attracted to hard workers!”

Hina and Tashigi both looked at Ace stunned, before Tashigi giggled a bit

“I told you, Hina!”

Hina hmphed, crossing her arms over her chest

“You better not hurt him, boy.  Chase hasn’t even bothered seeing anyone in almost ten years after the last few fiascos. He’s an adult and his job is his priority, not your childish whims. You hurt him – _I will hurt you._ “

Ace nodded, keeping his expression serious. He wanted them to know that he was serious about the Captain, and didn’t want to hurt him at all

“It will never be my intention to hurt him, I swear. And I understand that his job is important.”

“You don’t understand the severity. Chase has literally always wanted to be in law enforcement, fighting for justice, you don’t know what he sacrifi-!”

 

“That’s enough, Hina.”

Ace turned around to see that Smoker had returned to the booth. Ace stood up to let Smoker have his seat back where he just plopped down

“My brothers run you hard?” teased Ace, but knowing Sabo – _yikes_!

“Never knew a boy that looked so nice could be so _terrifying_.”

“Yeah my brothers are special, aren’t they?”

“Special’s one way of putting it.” And then Smoker turned to Hina, gesturing to Ace “Are you done threatening the kid? So he can go back to his job?”

Hina hmphed again

“Well, if Chase is going to be an ass about Hina being concerned for her dear friend, Hina supposes that she is.”

“ _Stop that_.”

“I’ll get you all a refill, okay?” offered Ace, smiling at the table as he walked away with the three coffee cups, sighing in relief

 

Smoker and his group left soon afterwards, leaving Ace a rather generous tip as well as Tashigi and Hina leaving their cell numbers. Ace wasn’t sure what to make of that, but added the numbers in his phone just in case.

Sabo and Luffy also left soon after – Sabo having to work a shift at the café and Luffy as usual having plans for the day (But Ace made him swear he’d be home for supper because he had homework and Ace knew that Luffy wouldn’t have it done already and that way Ace can check it)

Around noon Makino didn’t need Ace’s help anymore with her usual staff coming in. She thanked him profusely and paid him a fair sum. Ace always tried to refuse the money since it was Makino, but Makino insisted. She refused to have Ace work for free – but this time she had not only money for him, she handed him a sealed coffee thermos

“Makino, I-!”

“Since you come get coffee every day for the Captain, I figured this would be more useful for you and easier to run with.”

“I...Er.”

“That was him, wasn’t it? I can tell how much you like him”

Ace blinked, looking at Makino stunned as he turned bright red. He wanted to tell her, he wanted to tell her so bad!

“I…Yeah, I really do.”

Makino smiled brightly, putting her hand on Ace’s arm

“Good news, Ace. It looks like he likes you too!”

Ace could only smile warmly at her; he wishes he could have told her the truth

But now he had to go tell his third person

 

Ace quickly made his way to the Whitebeard mansion

Marco had told him to come over for the suit fitting, thankfully because they had so many members; they had a whole storeroom filled with different suits in different sizes. Ace was always so baffled that they had a massive collection of well-tailored suits that were exactly his size. When Ace had asked about it – Marco had shrugged it off, saying that Whitebeard had acquired that collection from an old friend of his when he passed that happened to be Ace’s exact built and that he didn’t know the details. Ace always found that fishy. But if Marco was caught up fixing everyone up with suits – that means he wouldn’t be with Pops!

Ace quickly entered the house, trying to be as nonchalant and quiet as possible. He picked up the happy Stefan and took him to Whitebeard’s office. He knocked on the door quickly, waiting for the signal to come in

Once he got it, Ace entered the room and found Whitebeard at his computer, typing away god knows what – but thankfully, he was alone

“If you’re looking for Marco, he’s in the closet room” informed Newgate, still typing away as he smiled fondly at Ace

Ace shook his head, scratching Stefan behind the ear

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you alone about something. Like, _Marco can’t know alone_ ”

Newgate blinked, pausing for a moment as he closed his laptop’s lid, gesturing to the seat in front of him

“This sounds serious, my boy. Not thinking about leaving us, are you?”

Ace barked a laugh, shaking his head – _he would never_!

“No way, Pops! You know I’m here for you for life! No, it’s just, something happened, and I was asked to keep it extremely quiet. And I can only tell three people about it – a”

“Awfully specific number, I’m assuming Chase Smoker is behind it” noted Newgate as he took a sip of his glass of rum

Ace gapped, shocked

“How did you-!”

“I’m not a fool, boy. You said that you can’t tell Marco and you have to keep it extremely discreet, so I can only assume it’s a relationship and you’ve only ever pursued the Captain. So I’m assuming that the two of you are seeing each other now?”

Ace grinned, nodding

“Yeah, but, it all happened last night! So I haven’t been keeping it a secret or anything for long! I spoke to my brothers this morning, so now I wanted to tell you.”

Newgate was quiet for a moment, his expression serious, but then he broke out into a laugh

“I’m not surprised you cracked that hard egg.  It’s a little hard to resist your charm, Ace. But you are aware of the implications of dating an officer of the law, aren’t you?”

Ace nodded “I am, but I’m not going to share any privy information with him and I doubt he will with me anyways.”

Newgate snorted, laughing again as he put down his drink

“Well, that’s for sure. Well, as long as you’re aware of that, you have my blessings, boy. But when can you tell Marco? He isn’t going to be happy when he finds out you kept this a secret.”

“My birthday! When I turn 18. That way it won’t be illegal anymore.”

Newgate nodded “Alright, well, you better go join Marco in the closet room, you need a tux for your dance. Get going, son, or he’s going to get impatient”

“Will do Pops, and thanks!”

Newgate smiled warmly as he reopened his laptop

“Anything for my sons.”

 

“ _Where the hell have you been_?”

Ace wasn’t surprised that Marco was in a foul mood. Marco was big on punctuality and as it stood, Ace was a half hour later with no explanation – thankfully, he had planned this, having Stefan still in his arms

“Sorry, I got distracted by this little guy!”

Marco blinked, staring at Stefan and then frowned sharply

“You have been in the freaking house for this past half hour?”

 “Yeah, ask Rakuyo, I saw him coming in”

Marco glared for a moment longer, and then he sighed, grabbing a suit bag and handing it over to Ace

“Here’s the suit that matches Hancock’s dress. Put it on and see how it fits.”

Ace took the suit bag and went into the small dressing room inside the room to get changed. Usually he didn’t care and would strip in front of Marco, but he was feeling bad about keeping a secret and wanted to hide a little bit

“Where’s everyone else?”

“You’re a half hour late, Ace. Everyone else is done.”

“Even Izo? He usually takes a while to pick an outfit! And he and Thatch usually like to match for funsies!”

“Izo isn’t coming. His parents need him to work that night. Important reservation.”

Ace frowned sharply – that was weird. Usually Izo loved any occasion to doll himself up, to think he agreed to work that night. Urgh _, this suit was so boring_!

“Also, I have something I need to tell you since I don’t think you know about it.”

Ace froze as he started to button up the shirt – did Marco already know?!

“About what?”

“Your brother’s massive fuck up”

“WHAT?!”

Ace stuck his head out of the curtain, looking at Marco shocked

“Yeah, on Friday, Luffy was messing around his friends and they threw him too hard and he fell into the girl’s changeroom and guess who was getting changed?”

“Oh god, who was it?”

“ _Hancock and her sisters_.”

“Did he see-!”

“Oh yeah, he saw, and they fucking lost it. A fight broke out and then it was dragged outside where Luffy had to fight off Sandersonia and Marigold. But during the fight, I don’t know the details since no men were allowed – but Luffy did something and the fight was called off.”

“Hancock would never just _call off a fight_!”

Ace was at a loss, whatever the hell could have Luffy done?!

“He didn’t tell you about it, I assume?”

“No, but he sure as hell going to hear it from me tonight!”

_Goddamnit Luffy!!_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND TADA! Only one of you actually had it right! But pretty much most of your guesses where things I long considered, but in the end, he has to tell his boss!
> 
> Next week, we're going to find out exactly what is that song Doffy gave Cora for Law!


	25. – LAW – I Seem To Have Found Myself In A Musical (And I’m The Only One Who Doesn’t Know The Songs)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came close to naming this chapter 'Law's Very Exciting Day At School' but alas! Here we go! (I'll post a link to the song in the end notes!)

 

 

 

“You’re not going to forget to talk to your teacher, right?”

Law frowned sharply. He understood that Cora was just stressed out right now. There could be so much hidden in this song and time was probably of an essence – _but to insinuate that he wouldn’t freaking remember to ask?!_

“I won’t forget, Cora! Stop thinking I will!”

“Text me right away? Let me know? Call me?” whined Cora

Law sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaned over and hugged Cora, who sat there stunned

“Stop worrying so much, Cora. I’m fine. We’re fine.”

Law could feel Cora melting into the hug. He felt bad, he should have known that Cora would be stressing about this that bad. Bepo came from the back seat and hugged them both

“We got this, Cora! You just go to work and let us do the job for you!” exclaimed Bepo, determined

Cora smiled but Law could see that he was a bit embarrassed

“Alright, I’ll try to relax a bit, but Law, honestly – right away?”

Law nodded “I’ll try to find him this morning”

“Thank you”

 

“Do you think Mister Brook is in the music room?” asked Bepo as he and Law walked down the hallway at a quick pace, thankfully the school was still empty

“I hope he is, because otherwise I don’t know where else to look!”

They both quickly made their way to the music room. The music room was in a rather isolated wing of the school with woodshop and metal works. Law turned the handle of the door and was pleasantly surprised to see that the door was unlocked. He and Bepo poked their head inside and were happy to see the familiar figure at his piano, playing away

“Brook! Do you have a minute?” asked Law as he walked in, approaching his teacher

Brook blinked, turning to look at the two of them, never stopping to play his piano

“Law! Bepo! Yohoho! How can I help the two of you this morning?”

Law stuck his hand inside the hoodie he was wearing and pulled out the folded pictures

“This is going to sound weird, but bear with me. This man sent my dad these music notes, saying that this was a song for me and we just want to know what song it is and I felt you’d be my best chance to figure it out.”

Brook blinked, taking the notes and looking at them carefully

“Hmm, this song seems familiar to me. Let me see if I can refresh my memory as I play it.”

Brook started to play the song. Law frowned sharply; the song meant absolutely nothing to him so far!

 

“You say - the price of my love’s not a price that you’re willing to pay! You cry! In your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by – Why so sad? Remember we made an arrangement when you went away and now you’re making me maaaaaad”

Law and Bepo turned towards the new person who had just entered the room singing, shocked – _was he wearing a speedo?!_

“Ah Franky!” said Brook as he stopped playing  “I welcome your accompaniment! I was right, this is song is _You’ll Be Back_ from the musical Hamilton. Law, not to pry, but this is a rather disturbing song to send to someone out of context.”

Law frowned sharply “Do you have the lyrics somewhere?”

Brook stood up and made his way to the computer in back of the room, quickly looking the lyrics up and printed Law a copy.

“Here you are, boy. Law…You’re not in any trouble, are you?”

Law didn’t know what to say as he took the lyrics from Brook. Bepo quickly took the printout from Law, reading through the lyrics

“Law, we gotta tell Cora like _now_. This song is super creepy. I can’t believe he’d send you this song”

“Whoah dudes, you mean some guy sent you that? Call the cops, man; whoever that is doesn’t have his head on straight and this could be dangerous.”

“It works out because young Law here’s father is a police officer!”

“Oh really? Well that’s suuuuper!”

“Thank you, Brook, it’s really appreciated.” replied Law, reading through the lyrics again. He was starting to feel super sick to his stomach

“Ah! No problem! But Law, Zoro told me that you two were going to practice sword fighting at his home, how did you handle the Nodachi?”

Law blinked, he had forgotten about that (his shoulder sure didn’t though)

“Oh, it handled great! I’m going to go get my own”

“Good, good. Law, may I pry once more? Is the swordfighting because of this man?” asked Brook, gesturing to the music notes

Law stayed silent for a moment. As much as possible – he would like to keep this all on the down-low, but if his sword fighting teacher knew that he was serious about it…

“Yeah, it’s because of him. I have people I need to protect from this man.”

Brook smiled softly and nodded determined

“Yohoho! Alright! I shall do my best to teach you more!”

Franky folded his arms against his chest, frowning

“I hate when kids have to fight like this.”

Law shrugged

“What do you want? It’s our reality.”

“You be careful, okay? And don’t try to fight this alone; this school is full of people who are willing to help kids like you”

_What did that mean?_

“Understood. Thanks again, Brook.”

“Wait!”

Brook walked up to his massive collection of CDs and pulled one out and handed it to Law

“This is the complete soundtrack of the musical. Maybe there are more hints in here of what exactly this man is getting to. Borrow it for as long as you want.”

Law nodded and took the cd and walked out with Bepo

Law couldn’t deny how glad he was that he had people willing to help him like that

 

“Bleah, this song is so creepy, Law”

Law felt nauseous as he read the lyrics again. _You belong to me?!_ You’ll be back? _Especially the end about killing his friends and family._ Law quickly dialed Cora, holding his cell up to his ear. He had found a quiet corner in the school; thankfully classes hadn’t started yet so he had some give

“ _Law?! You got the answer?!”_

_Wow, not even a hello, Cora was stressed!_

“Uh yeah, Cora, this song…it’s called “ _You’ll Be Back_ ” it’s from the Hamilton musical.”

Law could hear Cora typing away at his computer, probably looking it up like Brook did.

_“…Law…this is…”_

“I know”

“ _I’m pulling you out of school and keeping you under house arrest, holy shit_ ”

“Wait, Cora, no! I can’t stop living because of this! And he said to give it to me, it doesn’t mean he’s coming now, it might just be a warning”

“ _Yeah, a warning that he’s not going to give up on you and if you don’t go back to join the gang, he’s going to come here and kill people_.”

“But what good is living under house arrest going to do?! He probably knows where I live!”

“ _We don’t know that for sure! My IP is scrambled.”_

What?!

“You scrambled the IP?!”

“ _Of course I did, I’m not an idiot! So is the phone line. I’m also unlisted as well as my plates. The school has a false address as well. I took precautions, Law.”_

Law blinked, he didn’t know that Cora had put up precautions like that. But then again, it did make sense; he was the second in command of the gang, so of course he knew what Doflamingo would try

 “Cora, please. I don’t want to live scared.”

Cora sighed deeply, and then he groaned

“ _Fine. But, please, be careful!”_

“I will, I will, also Brook lent me the whole soundtrack, so in case he draws more inspiration from the musical.”

“ _Okay, perfect! We’ll listen to it tonight! Oh! Speaking of, I dropped off your suits at the cleaners and we need to stop to pick them up tonight_ ”

Huh?

“Suits? For what?”

“ _The school dance?”_

“I’m not going to the dance!”

“ _Bepo said you were!”_

Law frowned, turning towards Bepo who had his head down, looking sheepish

“I thought we were all going?”

Law glared at Bepo for a moment. He didn’t want to go to the dance! Since when did he dance?! Then again…it might be fun…he did want to hang out with Penguin and Shachi…and Luffy and the others will be there…

Law sighed

“Bepo’s right, we’re all going”

Bepo smiled brightly

“ _Okay good, we’ll pick up the suits tonight! Okay, it’s about time for you to go to class, so I’ll talk to you tonight!”_

“Okay, bye Cora.”

“Bye Cora!” added Bepo from the side, grinning

Law hung up and turned to Bepo, frowning

“ _I will not be dancing_.”

“I wouldn’t want to either if I was you, you’ll be embarrassed compared to my sick dance moves”

Law laughed, shoving Bepo’s arm slightly

“Oh shut up!”

 

Law made his way to homeroom and plopped down in his seat. He was already exhausted from all the stress of this morning and now he had a creepy love song from Doflamingo to deal with as well. On the bright side, by the look of the cd, this is an award winning musical, so it could possibly mean that Doflamingo heard it in passing and stored it away to use one day. Now that he thought about it, Cora and Doflamingo often went to see Broadway shows, so it would make sense that he’d know this song. He’d like to not imagine Doflamingo in his pyjamas, sitting in front of a laptop, going through his iTunes collection, desperately looking for the perfect song to send him – _bleah!_

“Torao? You okay?”

Law blinked, looking at Luffy who was leaning over, looking worried

“Did you eat some bad food? You’re not looking too good.”

Law shook his head

“I’m fine, just, yeah, I’m fine”

“I forgot to ask you on Saturday if you’re going to the dance on Friday!”

Law lifted a brow – was the dance the topic of the day or something?

“Yeah, apparently I am”

“Oh cool! Are you coming with your friends? We should all hang out together!”

Law merely nodded, he didn’t know what else to add, but then Luffy was quiet for a moment. He turned to look at Zoro who gave him a stern look back. Law noticed that Usopp and Chopper had stopped their conversation and were listening in but not looking at them. Sanji remained looking to the front, but the smile on his face was unmistakeable. Law also noticed that Vivi and Nami had also stopped talking – as well as Bepo?!

“Ah Torao! After the dance, do you wanna come over to my place, to hang out? Ace usually doesn’t come home after dances so they’ll be a spare bed and we can watch movies and play video games and stuff!”

“I-! Me?”

Luffy blinked, confused

“Of course you, silly! I like spending time with you!”

Why the hell would Luffy want to spend time with him?! This didn’t make any sense!

 

And in that moment, Cora’s words rung through his head

_“I’m sorry! It’s just; you’re so so smart Law, but also sometimes, so so dumb”_

_Oh._

“Yeah, actually, I’d like that.”

Luffy’s smile in that moment was blinding

“Really? That’s great, Torao! I can’t wait!”

“Alright class, time for roll call”

Law straightened up in his seat as Luffy properly sat down in his seat – he could feel his cheeks burning

 

“You said yes!” teased Bepo as they walked towards the cafeteria, Law’s pretty sure he was going to die from lack of blood redistribution

“We’re just playing video games and watching movies!”

“Who is?”

Law turned even more red with Shachi and Penguin standing there

“Law got invited over to Luffy’s house after the dance and said yes”

“Whoah! So you guys _are_ dating, right?”

“I wouldn’t go that far!” replied Law, making his way to the doctor’s office for his daily dose of medication and boosters

“Well, do you _like like_ him?” asked Shachi

“…I haven’t really thought about it.” admitted Law. Romance wasn’t exactly on the agenda with all the crap going on

It was hard to think about romance when you were basically on the run. He isn’t a main character in a YA novel!

“Dude, it’s really simple. Don’t think about it, just answer – do you want to date Luffy?” asked Penguin, looking straight at Law

“I-“

_Did he want to date Luffy?_ He had way too much baggage, and -

“No, no! Don’t think! Just answer!” replied Shachi, Bepo staring at Law. All three of them grabbed Law, pushing his back to the doctor’s office’s door

“ _Do you want to date Luffy?”_

“I-Yes! Yes, I want to date Luffy!”

And then the door opened all four of them fell back, hitting the ground with an oomph! Law groaned, looking up after hitting the ground

_Who the hell would just open the door like that?!_

 And Law came face to face with a not amused Ace

“My, my, my. What an interesting conversation to come across. You and me are going to have a little talk. With Sabo.”

_Oh shit!_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! Law finally realized many things! Next week, well, we'll see what happens, but we're back to Ace!
> 
> And here's the song!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21wgwkzdrkI
> 
> Also I can't believe we're already at chapter 25!! I'm so shocked!


	26. – ACE- I’m Sorry To Say My Brother Comes With An Instruction Manual With Warnings (And We’re Not Nice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some development for both main pairings in this one! Busy chapter honestly, actually most of the next chapters will all be busy, so get ready for it!
> 
> EDIT: I corrected a mistake pointed out by Mysterious L! Thank you very much!

 

 

"So right after, Dr.Kureha chased me off, saying I was ‘disturbing her office’ or some crap and I haven’t been able to grab Law and talk to him ever since! The little bastard has been avoiding me!”

Ace let the Captain’s chuckle at his predicament roll over him. He still couldn’t believe it – here he was, sitting in Smoker’s office, drinking coffee while his…boyfriend(?) checked a bunch of the paper work. Today when he went to deliver the morning coffee, Smoker had apparently given the instruction that he be brought into the office. Ace couldn’t help but feel stupid happy that he was able to be in the Captain’s space like this – even if he couldn’t stay long at all

“Do you _have_ to talk to him?” asked Smoker, signing a few documents, barely looking up – god he looked cranky as hell when he was concentrating

“Well _duh_. Sabo and Luffy spoke to you, Hina and Tashigi spoke to me, it’s like, the laws of life.”

“ _Sabo is a terrifying individual_.” stated Smoker, flipping a folder open and looking through it“Well that too! I want to know what the hell he said to you because I don’t see it being any different, actually”

“It’s going to be worse”

Ace frowned, eyes narrowing

“What do you mean by that?”

“Considering how much the two of you dote over Luffy? It’s going to be worse. Because it’s not a brother threatening someone to not hurt another brother here, it’s like Luffy’s parents who are threatening the guy who wants to go out with their kid. So it’s going to be worse.”

Ace wished he could deny that, but he really couldn’t. He himself often joked that he’s basically Luffy’s dad anyways. Sabo’s though, is the mom.

“Does it bother you to date a guy with a kid?” teased Ace, smirking

Smoker snorted, rolling his eyes

“ _Oh shut up.”_

Smoker then stood up, gesturing Ace to get up as well as he grabbed the folders on his desk

“C’mon, you need to get to school and I need to redistribute these to my staff.”

Ace nodded, but before he could leave the room, Smoker leaned over and planted a small peck on Ace’s lips, making Ace blush furiously

“But I thought that-!”

“We’re in private, aren’t we?” argued Smoker, smirking slightly

Ace smirked, if Smoker thought he would keep the upper hand _, he’s dead wrong_

 

They both walked out of the office as Smoker started redistributing the folders to all the cops. A moment later, Officer Trafalgar walked in, stretching his arms as he made his way to his desk – well tried to, he ran into another desk first

“Aw shit, if he’s here, that means that Law’s already at school.”

Cora looked up at hearing Law’s name and then his eyes narrowed

“Why aren’t _you_ at school?”

“No homeroom for seniors today since we’re setting up the dance. So Marco’s picking me up a little later after he finishes the supply run for the dance committee.”

Cora nodded; satisfied with the answer, but then he frowned sharply, pointing to Ace

“Why did Law tell Bepo that he had to keep avoiding you at school?”

Ace blinked, surprised that Cora knew that

“Because I’m going to threaten him?”

Cora’s expression dropped considerably. Ace could see he was getting royally pissed; he should probably ease the tension with an explanation  

“He likes my brother and wants to date him! It’s in my rights to threaten him!”

“Ace, _why are you telling a cop you want to threaten someone, his own son to start with_?” asked Smoker casually, not surprised at what was doing on

“Eh? Oh. I guess that’s dumb.”

_Shit!_

“Law wants to date Luffy? You sure about this?” asked Cora, his tone considerably more neutral than it was a minute ago. Ace frowned slightly – he knew when someone was trying to get information out of him

“Yeah. Heard it straight out of his own mouth.”

Cora paused for a moment, and then snorted, before he laughed

“Oh my god, took him long enough to figure it out!”

 

“Did I hear that right? Law likes Luffy?”

Ace blinked, he didn’t see Bellemere there

“Yeah, and Luffy likes him back. The two dopes have been courting each other and have no freaking idea.”

“I was right! That’s exactly it! It’s really funny, it’s been hard to not just laugh in Law’s face all the time.” added Cora, grinning

Bellemere snorted

“Seems Law has a type then”

Cora blinked, confused

“What do you mean?”

Bellemere smirked, shaking her head as she picked up the folders on the desk and walked away with them

“You’ll figure it out, Rosi”

Ace frowned slightly. _What did she mean by that_? But then he looked at Cora for a moment – jovial, friendly, trusting, warm hearted Officer Tra- _OH!_

_Well shit_

Now that he thought about it – most of Law’s friends were also kinda clowns too. Huh.

_Bet Law hasn’t even realized it yet_

 

“Remember that I need you to come to my house tomorrow morning at 600 hours sharp. Not a second late because that’s when we leave and if we get hit by the morning traffic, Hina will personally gut you.”

“Yes, I will!” exclaimed Hina from Tashigi’s desk, apparently the other had decided to spend the day at the police station, sitting beside Tashigi – but Hina seemed to be doing work on her phone more than anything. Smoker did tell him that Hina had a rather high military rank when they were texting this week, so he assumed she had emails and shit to answer

“How come he’s coming over?” asked Cora, starting the file that Smoker gave him

“Dog sitting.” answer Smoker, waving his hand to disregard the line of questioning

“Oh! You have a dog! That’s cute.”

“Yep! And I’ll be taking care of her all weekend after the dance!”

“That’s right, the dance is tonight! Do you have a date, Ace?” asked Bellemere as she returned, coffee in hand

“Yeah, Hancock, as usual.”

“ _I thought Sabo was joking when he said you were in the closet_?!” exclaimed Cora, jaw slacked as he dropped the file on the ground

 Ace burst out laughing, clutching his stomach

“ _Oh my god_ , he was! I swear! Naw, Hancock and I always go together because we’re usually elected King and Queen of the dance. So she wants us to at least match. Hence why I always wind up going with her – but honestly, we don’t actually spend more time than we need to together at the dance.”

“Oh wow, look at you, mister popular, Homecoming and Prom King” teased Hina, not even looking up from her phone – well, _Ace hoped she was teasing_

“You’re one to talk, you won all those stupid things back in high school.” noted Smoker, frowning

Ace blinked – he didn’t realize they went to high school together

“You’re just jealous that you’re a big grump and nobody voted for you for anything.”

“Oh yes, because wearing a dainty crown and dancing with a dolled up girl is my _dream in life,_ Hina you know me so well”

Ace snorted, putting his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing

“But she isn’t wrong, you are rather popular, Ace” noted Bellemere

“It’s because people think I’m hot and I’m not a jerk. But they also think I slept with nearly the entire school too though. Apparently last week I slept with the whole football team and the volleyball team.”

“ _That sounds exhausting_ ” noted Cora, frowning to himself as he held up the files he just dropped, making Bellemere laugh

Ace laughed along, he always liked the atmosphere in the police station

“Ace, you should probably get going. You said Marco would pick you up at 8:45.”

Ace blinked, but then looked down at his watch – _shit!_ Marco was just about to come up and he had told him that he wasn’t pulling in to the police station parking lot and Ace had better be ready on the side of the road of he was leaving his ass there!

“Thank you, Chase! Shit! Bye everyone!” replied Ace as he turned and ran out

Once out the door, he realized what he said. Ace groaned, he hoped it wouldn’t cause any trouble.

 

Ace quickly made it to the sidewalk as Marco turned the corner and pulled over, letting Ace into the car. Once he opened the door, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing

“The car is filled with balloons!”

“Yeah, that’s what they really needed someone to pick up.” explained Marco as Ace buckled himself in among all the balloons

Marco frowned slightly, quiet for a moment before he spoke up again

“You’re getting awfully cozy at the police station.”

“Naw, I just got there late today” Fuck he hated lying to Marco

“Funny. Pretty sure I saw Luffy on the city bus this morning at the usual time.”

FUCK.

“Got held up at Makino’s. She had a bit of a rush and I stepped in to help out.”

Marco nodded

“You’ve been fidgety lately. What are you hiding?”

Ace froze. _He knew this would happen_!

“Ah…well…I…I didn’t want…No, I did want, more like, I didn’t know how to tell you but ah…I’m dogsitting this weekend.”

Marco frowned sharply and then raised a brow

“Yoi, why the hell did you keep that a secret?!”

“Because it’s the Captain’s dog?”

Marco paused shocked

“ _How the fuck did you manage that?!_ ”

“I’m really good at weaseling my way into things?” offered Ace, hoping it was enough

“For how long?”

“Until Sunday night.”

Marco paused for a moment and then burst out laughing

“I cannot believe you were able to pull that off, Portgas! Might have to switch you division if you’re able to smuggle yourself into places like that!”

Ace weakly laughed with him

“Naw, I like where I am now!”

“Well good for you, if he trusts you, that’s a good sign.”

Ace smiled genuinely then, glad to hear that come out of Marco’s mouth

“But for the love of everything out there, can you get me some goddamn reliable Intel on the guy?”

 Ace could only laugh

 

“So, Hancock wants you to be at the gate of her house at 7pm.”

“Dance starts at 7pm. She lives across town!” whined Ace as he walked down the hall.

The day was finally over and he once again, hadn’t been able to talk to Law. Well, he can’t run at the dance!

“Only losers show up at the dance when it first starts!” exclaimed Izo, a big grin on his face

Ace frowned

“You can’t say shit to me! You’re not even going! You’re going to work! And also, losers get the best food because they get to the snack table first!”

“I still can’t believe you’re not going, Izo.” noted Thatch, looking disappointed. Ace lifted a brow at that – it was true that Izo and Thatch were rather tight, but Thatch looked _really_ disappointed

“I’m sorry, business calls. This is a very important client apparently and my parents want to give them the absolute best.” explained Izo, himself looking disappointed

 

“Oh my god, is that a legit pompadour?!”

The group turned around at the sound of the voice and Ace was surprised to see Cora coming up to them, dragging along Law with Bepo following them, confused

“Yeah man!” boasted Thatch proudly as Cora, Ace _could only describe as fangirling_ , fangirled over the pompadour

Then Cora turned and shoved Law towards Ace

“Here. It’s a rite of passage.”

Law looked at Cora, the utter look of betrayal on his face

“Face your problems, Law!”

Ace smirked brightly as he grabbed Law’s shoulder with a big smile on his face

“Wow isn’t that great!”

 

“Oooh you finally caught him!”

Ace grinned when he saw Sabo walk up, grinning brightly

“His dad _gave him_ to us!”

“Ohh! Mister Trafalgar, how nice of you!”

Cora snorted

“Make it quick, will you? He has to get ready for the dance tonight.”

“Got it!”

 

“Also Ace? _Subtle as a train wreck this morning_.”

 

Ace froze, eyes wide – _Shit_! He knew! But then he smirked

“ _I have no idea what you’re talking about, Officer_ ”

Sabo lifted a brow at Ace as Ace shook his head, both of them putting their arms around Law’s shoulders and brought him around the corner, to the side of the school

 

Law frowned sharply as he leaned his back against the wall, accepting the worst

“Okay. So, you know why we’re doing this, right?”

“You’re going to tell me to stay the hell away from your brother, aren’t you?”

Both Ace and Sabo blinked – confused

“What? No? Luffy’s the one who’s latched on to you, we couldn’t get rid of you if we tried”

Law blinked, looking confused

Ace chuckled

“Basically it’s this – if you and Luffy do choose to get more involved than you are now” started Sabo, frowning “You won’t be able to detach him from your issues.”

“Huh?”

Ace sighed; guess he’ll have to up-front about this

“Look, we’re not dumb. We realize that you have a shitton of baggage. So do we, that’s nothing new. _But yours is going to come after you_. So –“

“So stay the hell away from Luffy so that he doesn’t get involved.”

“What no? Let me finish my damn sentences! _You won’t be able to not get Luffy involved_ , so be ready for that!”

“What?”

“ _He already told me that if ‘mingo goes after you that he’s going to punch him in the face_ ”

“…His name is Doflamingo”

“Yeah, well, Luffy calls him ‘Mingo” snapped Ace

“But” continued Sabo, holding up his finger “If he gets really hurt or worst because of his involvement with you” then Sabo slammed his fist into the stone wall besides Law’s head. Law’s eyes widen considerably at the hole Sabo had just made

“ _We’re not going to be very happy.”_

Ace saw Law visibly swallow hard

“But, we also know that Luffy is going to jump head-first into trouble, so just, call-us, we’re really good at making sure Luffy doesn’t wind up dead.” continued Ace, then he frowned sharply

“Or we’re going to re-arrange that pretty little face of yours and make you fucking wish that you were finished off back then, you understand me?”

Law nodded “Yeah, I got it. So…you guys are fine with me and Luffy doing…whatever?”

“Um, _depends on the whatever_!” exclaimed Sabo, clearly riled up at the suggestion

_Oh my god, Sabo_

“He means date, you doofus” replied Ace, rolling his eyes. Sabo could be such a mother hen

“Yeah, for now! Maybe he moves fast!” hissed back Sabo, gesturing to Law

“Do you really think Luffy actually knows how any of that shit works”

“Well, this one’s in medicine, if anybody can show him how it works; it’s going to be this one!”

 

“Uh, I’m still right here, guys.”

 

Both Sabo and Ace blinked, looking at Law who was still against the wall, but now his face was completely red

“No funny business on my bed tonight!” exclaimed Ace, narrowing his eyes

“Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”

“Luffy invited him over for god knows what reason. Nothing sets the mood like Dadan yelling at you”

“What are you talking about, it’s why I was over all the time, it just got me going real good”

“Oh my god ew” replied Ace, shoving Sabo’s shoulder

“…Who’s Dadan?” asked Law, frowning slightly. Ace could tell he really wanted to leave but curiosity was getting the better of him

“Oh you’ll see! But don’t worry about us concerning Luffy, we have no issues with you whatsoever.”

“Just remember” started Sabo in a sweet sing-song voice as he punched another hole in the wall “Don’t forget to inform us if ghosts are coming after you. And if you hurt him emotionally, they will find you ripped apart, understood?”

“Understood!”

_Man, The Captain was right, Sabo was terrifying_

“I look like a fucking nerd.”

Ace frowned, looking at himself in the mirror. A fucking black suit with a royal blue dress shirt but it was so damn plain looking! Yellow polka dots would make it much better!

“You actually look really nice, Ace” noted Izo as he walked up. Ace stood there stunned, Izo was in full outfit right now – everything on him looked more expensive than his entire house!

“Whoah, you weren’t kidding about special guest!”

Izo shrugged, making the hair decorations jangle in Izo’s hair

“Yeah, apparently some very high placed military man, he’s Japanese so he wanted a taste from home – so my parents told him they would provide”

Ace snorted

“Wow, they sent the wrong fucking person, didn’t they?! No wonder you had no issues skipping the dance!”

Izo smirked

“ _As if I was going to pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity_ ”

 

“Alright guys, let’s get going! We’re going to drop off Ace’s sorry ass at the Kuja house and when we’ll drop off Izo and head to the dance” explained Thatch as he offered his arm for Izo to hold – Izo graciously took it

_Ace groaned, got, he was going to miss all the good food!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it! We're finally heading to the dance woo! Also with the next chapter I'll see if I can post refs of what the characters are wearing as much as possible so you guys can have a better visual! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	27. – CORA – Family Feud Is Supposed To Be a Fun Game! (Goddamnit!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m sick, so I can’t go to work, so you guys get the chapter a few hours earlier than usual! (Since I’m going to go sleep after I post it!)  
> New characters in this chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! (Also one OC, but don’t worry, they won’t have an important role, it’s just to start up something)

 

 

“Soo, how bad was it?”

Cora had expected Law to be angry at him, yell at him, anything showing anger really, but instead he merely sighed and got into the car and sat down.

“It was…okay I guess?”

Cora frowned sharply, turning around and staring right at Law

“ _What did they do to you_?!”

_Angry? Yes. Upset? Yes. Smug? Yes – but not passive!_

Law blinked and then frowned

“I’m fine, Cora. I just, I figured they’d tell me to leave his brother alone or something – instead they warned me about him and stuff”

Cora raised a brow, starting up the car as he soon started to pull out of the parking lot  


“Oh my god, Luffy came with a warning?” asked Bepo from the back, surprised

Law stood up straight and pointed to Bepo

“Yeah! That! It was like, a disclaimer!”

Cora smiled and sighed, first hurdle covered

“So, you guys excited about tonight?”

“I guess” replied Law, looking to the side, pretending not to be interested

“Don’t let Law fool you, he stressed all night last night packing his overnight bag for his sleepover”

“Bepo!” scolded Law, now clearly embarrassed

“I’m sorry!” replied Bepo, feeling bad

Cora started to laugh, typically Law, figured he was raising a _tsundere_

“Are you sure you guys don’t need a ride back to Luffy’s?” offered Cora, a little worried.

After he had agreed to let Law sleep over that the Captain told him that Luffy lived in the Corvo district. Not that he was worried about Law keeping himself safe – it’s more like he didn’t want Law to get himself in any trouble

“ _You can’t give me a ride, Cora. You’re with Sengoku tonight.”_

Cora couldn’t miss the venom in Law’s voice if he even tried.

“Ahh, we could still swing by and bring you!” offered Cora carefully, knowing very well what the answer will be

“No. I’ll meet him tomorrow.” replied Law dryly, looking out the window. Cora appreciated how Law was trying to not be hostile

“I’m excited to meet him tonight!” said Bepo in the back, obviously trying to diffuse the tension “It’s really nice that you got the night off, Cora!”

“Well sorta” started Cora, chuckling softly “After I drop you guys off at home and get you all ready, I’ll head off after a bit to get to the airport for 8pm to pick him up and then we’ll go out for supper, he said he already made reservations somewhere”

“Then you’re going home?” asked Law, still looking out the window, pretending not to care

“Not quite, we’re going to pick up Bepo if you want?” offered Cora, looking at Bepo with the rear view mirror  


“Yeah? That would be great!”

Cora sighed in relief; thank god Bepo was here to diffuse the tension

 

 Law and Bepo ate their supper quickly before they started to get ready. Cora couldn’t help himself from smiling as he watched the boys get ready. Fiddling with dress shirt buttons, styling their hair, ironing their pants, polishing their shoes and soon enough, both were ready to go

“So we’ll listen to the cds tomorrow again, okay? Sengoku can help us out as well.”

Cora could hear Law grunt as he was fixing up his cuffs

“Only because we don’t have two and a half hours to listen to the musical now.”

“If you guys want to listen to it again before the dance, feel free, okay?”

“No way, Cora, we’re doing this as a team!” added Bepo, tying up his laces “Also both Law and I put it on our iPods”

“I think I have it memorized by now honestly. I think it’s just really that song and Doflamingo just wants to mess with us and make us listen to a nearly three hour long musical to find nothing substantial over again.” replied Law, checking himself out in the mirror

_That does sound like Doffy. Urgh_

“You two are sure you’re fine getting to the dance yourselves?”

Cora felt bad that he couldn’t wait it out, but he didn’t want to make the Captain cover for him longer than he needed to. It was bad enough that Tashigi was covering his night portion of his shift. Even though she said she was fine with it because she’ll be sleeping in the car tomorrow anyways – whatever the hell that meant

“Yeah, Penguin’s brother is going to pick us up and bring us all over to the dance, so we’re fine, Cora. Go to work.” replied Law, fixing his hair one more time in the mirror

Cora froze for a moment

He had to resist

He had to

FUCK IT!

Cora quickly whipped out his phone and started to take a bunch of pictures of Bepo and Law in their suits

“ _Damnit Cora!”_ yelped Law, surprised, Bepo just laughed and starting posing

“It’s your first school dance! I’m going to make memories, damnit!” cried Cora as he kept taking pictures

“ _You’re so lame, Cora!”_

“Like I care how cool you think I am” replied Cora as he kept taking pictures. He chuckled softly because even though Law was whining, he was staying pretty still so that Cora _could_ take pictures!

When Cora had a satisfying amount of pictures, he soon left himself. Recently he noticed that they didn’t really have any pictures around the house and it was something he’s always wanted. 

 

When he got to the police station, he found a woman, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She was a middle aged woman with almost white blonde hair tied into a loose bun behind her head. She was a sturdy looking woman, wearing a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Also, she looked really annoyed. Cora raised a brow and approached her, trying to appear as friendly as possible

“Can I help you? I’m a police officer!”

The woman blinked, surprised, stubbing out the cigar Cora hadn’t noticed she was smoking

“Do you mind doing me a small favour?”

Cora frowned slightly – asking for favours at a police station usually wasn’t a good thing. The woman clearly picked up on the vibe and waved her hand, dismissing it

“I wanted to see the Captain to give him this letter. It’s concerning the small service he’s going to tomorrow, but Chase still won’t see me. Every time I ask to see him, apparently he’s on patrol. But he’s the goddamn Chief of Police, who the hell patrols that much?! So clearly he’s being a giant baby and he’s avoiding me!”

Cora blinked, not sure what to make of all of this

“ _He actually patrols a lot.”_

The women paused, looking back at him surprised and then she burst out laughing

“Of course he goes above and beyond, man he hasn’t changed. Anyways, can you give that to him for me when you see him? Say it’s from Eleanor. Also tell him to grow the fuck up and contact me.”

“I am _not_ telling my boss to _grow the fuck up_!” cried out Cora as he took the letter

Eleanor merely laughed, patting Cora on the shoulder

“You’re a good man, mister gentle giant! If you ever need a drink, come down to the Gate’s Pub, I’ll serve you a glass of my grade-A rum for free!”

Cora merely chuckled, taking the letter

“I might take you up on that!”

 

“Is the Captain in?”

“No” replied Tashigi, looking up from her monitor – what the hell was she already doing here?! And with Hina?!

“What do you need with that grump, anyways?” asked Hina, still working on her phone

“Oh, because this woman gave me to this to give to him”

“A woman? Got her name?” asked Bellemere from her own desk – Cora could see the curiosity welling up in her

“Eleanor?”

“Oooh, man, _she still hasn’t reached the Captain_?”

“Is that woman still at it? Shouldn’t she have given up by now?” added Hina, rolling her eyes

 

“Who still hasn’t reached me?”

Cora blinked, surprised as the Captain came in from the back, frowning at the scene in front of him

“Uh, a woman called Eleanor? She gave me this letter to give to you and told you it was about the small service you’re attending?”

Smoker glared at Cora for a moment before taking the letter, opening it, rolling his eyes, crumbling up the letter and throwing it in the trash can. Then he turned to Tashigi

_Goddamnit now he wanted to steal it from the trash can!_

“Remind me that we need to pick up two dozen lilies at the flower shop near the cemetery tomorrow.”

“Roger that!”

“I’m assuming she bought those for the service?” asked Hina

 

“So, I’m not going to remind you that you _probably_ should contact your sister. And if you hurry, _you could probably catch up to her._ ”

Cora stared at Bellemere stunned – _that was the Captain’s sister?!_

“You’re right, you probably shouldn’t remind me and mind your own business” replied the Captain, almost growling as he stormed back to his office.

_Yikes!_ There clearly was some drama there!

 

Once Smoker re-emerged from the office, Cora thanked him profusely for covering for him. The Captain shrugged and said it was no big deal and soon packed up and left, dragging Hina out with him.

It was weird to finally have had the chance to meet Black Cage Hina. She was as intimidating as he imagined her to be but also he was surprised at how much and often she picked on the Captain. He had never imagined their relationship to be so incredibly affectionate in that odd sense. Also he didn’t expect her to hit so incredibly hard on Tashigi.

Cora sat at his desk and let his mind wonder as he filled in more reports. Honestly the Captain had been acting weird all week. Ace was now going into his office when the morning coffee was delivered and Cora hadn’t missed when Ace called Smoker by his first name. But then again, Western sensibilities tell him it shouldn’t be considered a big deal, but it rang weird to him. _Nobody called Smoker by his first name_. Except Hina did here and there, but generally everyone called him by his family name, so Ace’s switch was an odd one. But, Ace had played dumb which tells Cora that if something _was_ going on, that they had to keep it quiet, so he won’t pry. But he did want Ace to be careful about it.

 

“Excited to see your dad?”

Cora blinked, looking at Bellemere surprised – that was a rather dark que- OH!

“Oh, you mean Sengoku? Yeah! I am!”

Bellemere blinked, and then Cora could tell that she felt a little bad

“Was that presumptuous? You don’t call him dad, do you?”

Cora waved it off, chuckling softly

“It’s okay, but no, but I didn’t even call my biological father ‘dad’ either, he was Papa. Sengoku is _Otousan_ ”

Bellemere blinked, and then she chuckled

“That’s so Japanese, I thought the ‘san’ was like, mister”

“It’s formal, yeah, but do you seriously see me calling Sengoku ‘Daddy’?”

Bellemere screeched, chocking on spit as she started to laugh super hard

“Oh my god, I will freaking pay you to call him ‘Daddy’”

“ _I am not calling him Daddy_ ”

 

“What are you guys talking about?!”

They both turned to a stunned Tashigi who was staring at them both, holding a stack of folders

“I’m trying to convince Rosi to call Sengoku ‘Daddy’” explained Bellemere

Tashigi frowned sharply shocked

“Please do not do that!”

Both Cora and Bellemere only laughed harder

“Better! I’ll pay you 500$ to call Smoker ‘Daddy’” Bellemere offered, pointing to Tashigi

“No! Never!” cried out Tashigi, bright red now

“Give me a grand and I’ll call Smoker ‘Daddy’” offered Cora, laughing

“No, better, we’ll give Ace a gran to call Smoker ‘Daddy’” replied Bellemere, laughing

“I’ll call Smoker ‘Daddy’ for a grand” said Wiper, dropping the documents on the desk and walking away  as everyone stared at him stunned–  then everyone started to laugh even harder

 

Soon enough Cora was at the airport, waiting in a special reserved section. Of course Sengoku traveled on his own plane, so he wouldn’t be landing with the usual international flight. Thankfully even though Cora was now a cop – he still had his World Government authorization and clearance so that he could wait in their special lounge.

Cora had been downplaying it, but he was actually extremely nervous about seeing Sengoku. They had barely spoken since the incident on Minion Island and when they did, the conversations were short and curt.  Sengoku had been furious with him and that much was obvious. It was a hard situation to be in because he didn’t regret at all disobeying Sengoku to guarantee Law’s survival. So it wasn’t that he could apologize and mean it. Cora didn’t feel like he did anything wrong. But nether less, Law is alive and that’s all that mattered to Cora, his own life be damned

Had he been killed and Law had survived, it would have made surviving everything up to that point worth it.

Cora chuckled softly to himself, he wish he could have pinpointed the moment where he truly started to love and care for Law so much, but it didn’t matter

What mattered is now

_And the fucking plane landed while he daydreamed – fuck_!

Cora stood up instantly and looked towards the door that opened and moments later- Sengoku emerged from the tunnel with his goat in tow, making Cora swallow hard

“A-ah! I-“

“It’s good to see you again, son”

Cora’s heart melted when he saw Sengoku smile and go up to him and hugged him tight as Cora hugged back

“It’s good to see you!” replied Cora, smiling brightly “In English because?”

Sengoku snorted as Cora leaned over to take his luggage

“I have to practice to not address you only in Japanese; it would be rude to your two sons and also-”

From the tunnel burst out one Garp D. Monkey

“Wow, what a heartwarming scene! It’s making me hungry though!”

“Garp is here?!” asked Cora, shocked

Sengoku rolled his eyes

“Yeah, the old coot decided to tag along when he found out I was coming here to see his grandsons”

Cora snorted, biting his lip and trying not to laugh

_Law avoided Sengoku but he’s going to be hit by hurricane Garp instead, amazing!_

Cora laughed softly, overwhelmed with how well things were going so far

“Ah! You don’t have to worry about the boys though! They both have a school dance tonight! Law isn’t even coming home tonight”

Sengoku blinked, raising a brow

“He has a girlfriend and you’re being that lenient?”

“Wow good job, Rosinante! Never thought a son of yours would be a tom cat like that!”

Cora frowned slightly and then he shook his head

“No, no, it’s just a friend.”

Cora didn’t mean to be so vague, but it wasn’t his place to out Law. If Law wanted to tell Sengoku that he was interested in dating Luffy, that his call, until then, it’s not for him to say. Also he didn’t feel like telling Garp that he was sleeping over at Luffy’s today.  He should probably should send Law a quick text though, juuuust to slightly warn him

“So the other one, Bepo was it?”

“He’ll be home! If you don’t mind, we can go pick him up after dinner”

“Absolutely not. It will be nice to meet him.”

 

“It’s odd to think that my little Rosinante is now the father of two teenage boys.”

Cora chuckled softly; I guess it would be odd in context!

“I skipped the whole marriage and dating thing and went right to the part I wanted!” teased Cora as they got into the car. Garp had got himself a taxi and drove off to god knows where

Sengoku sighed, frowning softly

“I would like to see you married and settled down, Rosinante.”

Cora sighed slightly. _He hated this conversation so so much!_ He didn’t want to get married and settle down! Cora had never had any interest in dating or relationships but it was much easier in his youth to blame it on wanting to concentrate on his studies instead but now it was hard to blame it on something else.

“I know, but I have my job and two kids to raise and with Doffy out there, you know how irresponsible it would be for me to involve someone else into this mess”

“First of all” started Sengoku as Cora started up the car and started to drive them to his house. Cora groaned, he hated when Sengoku started any conversation like that

“You need to stop calling Doflamingo ‘Doffy’. It’s an affectionate nickname and you need to work on disassociating yourself with him.”

Cora winced – _he knew_ he was going to be called out on that! But he couldn’t help it. _Doffy was Doffy_

“Second of all, you can’t allow your relation with Doflamingo to stop you from being happy.”

“I suppose you’re right, but I can’t help but worry, you know?”

_Also I don’t care to, but whatever_

“It’s a miracle you’re alive, Rosinante. I got copies of the charts; it took them days of work just to get you stable again. You were riddled in bullet holes, your heart was a complete mess, physically most of your bones were broken, you had internal bleeding pretty much everyone possible and yet still managed to pull through. I just don’t want you to waste your second chance at life being afraid that Doflamingo might come after you.”

Cora was quiet. He didn’t know that Sengoku had asked to see copies of the charts. I guess it made sense since he was in charge of the World Government Forces and he was an agent, but still. This is all nice and well, but Sengoku didn’t know Doffy like he did, he also didn’t know

“Otousan. He contacted me recently.”

“What?!”

“I’ll give you more details later, but yeah, he’s not far away and he will never be either.”

Sengoku sighed

“Maybe one day, Rosinante.”

“Maybe, so, where’s this restaurant we’re going to?”

“It’s in town. Came highly recommended as the best Japanese food in town. Owned by a well-know family who immigrated here years ago. The place is called Foxfire’s”

Cora chuckled nervously

“I know that place, its great!”

Thankfully it’s the night of the school dance – so it’s not like he’ll be working!

He’ll be at the school dance, right?

Right?

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And tada! We all know who’s going to be at the restaurant, next week we’re back to Ace and FINALLY at the actual dance!


	28. – ACE – A Night to Remember (This Tux Is Too Baggy, Too Tight, It Makes Me Look Weird.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THE DANCE! FINALLY! 
> 
> So pairings in this story is like...all of them minus the adult pairings? But we have Franky and Robin? A LOT OF PAIRINGS, KIDS!

 

 

 

Ace was always kinda in awe at the Kuja estate

It wasn’t as big as the Whitebeard mansion but it had this very fancy, classy vibe and everything about it screamed that people were not welcomed.

Which included Ace that was forced to wait outside by the main gates until Hancock was ready

Not inside in the lounge, not at the door’s front entrance – not even at the freaking door! _At the goddamn front gate!_

Ace groaned, honestly, he always agreed to be Hancock’s date because he tells himself it’s easier down the line, but frankly, it was starting to annoy him. Because even if they showed up together, they soon split the second they get there, spend the dance with their separate group of friends, get together when they’re named king and queen, do the damn dance and then split up again. Ace would have liked to attend with an actual date! He loved to dance and the idea to dance with someone he really liked just makes his heart flip flop

_Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone_!

Then he sighed, Smoker probably wasn’t the dancing type – he sure didn’t seem like it. And it’s not like he could bring a grown man to a high school dance as his date either.

 

"You better not be sighing because of me!”

Ace blinked, looking at Hancock who had apparently driven up and had opened the door of her limo, signaling to Ace to get in

“No, no, just, despairing over love”

Hancock sighed herself, looking to the side as she blushed “I understand that”

_Whoah what?!_

Ace got into the limo, now noticing what she was wearing. It was a great dress! Probably more fitting for a club than a school dance, but Hancock would never not share her rocking body. It was a fitted royal blue long sleeved dress that ended just slightly past her thighs. It had a high collar but a mesh plunging neckline. Only way she could probably show cleavage and get away with it at school. She was wearing it with her usual gold earrings and a pair of platform heels. Ace had to admire her lack of giving a shit and insistence on still wearing heels even though she towered over nearly every guy in school. Including Ace himself

“Ace, I have something to ask you”

Ace blinked, he had hardly gotten seated and Hancock already had something for him to do

“Yeah?”

“You know pretty much everyone in school, right?”

“Yeah? You want to know who someone is?”

Hancock blushed furiously and looked to the side, she looked – nervous?

“Yes. “

“Well, let me pull up the student directory and we can see if you can at least find their picture”

The second Ace pulled out his cellphone and opened it – Hancock snatched it out of his hands

“That’s him! That’s him!”

Ace frowned, confused

“Like…who?!”

“This! This man in your photo!” said Hancock, shoving the phone in Ace’s face, pointing to his lockscreen

Which was a picture of Ace, Sabo and Luffy that they took at the amusement park this summer

“Uh, I have bad news for you, Sabo is seeing someone.”

_And Koala will fucking kick your ass if you try anything_

Actually Hancock might be able to take her on

_Whoah, that would be an intense fight actually!_

“No! Not Sabo! I know Sabo, he’s in a few of my classes, this one! With the small scar under his eye!”

_Oh my god_

“You mean _Luffy_?!”

“Is that his name? Luffy?”

“Like, kinda short, young looking, laughs and smiles all the time? Like-“ and then Ace took his phone back, going through his pictures and pulled up a picture of Luffy alone

“This guy?!”

“Yes! And I want that picture!”

Did he just enter the Twilight Zone?! Bizarro World!?

“You’re seriously talking about my little brother Luffy?!”

“He’s your little brother?!” Hancock exclaimed, shocked, but then she blushed more, sighing happily at the picture as she retook Ace’s phone and sent herself the picture

What is going on?!

“Didn’t you two…have a fight last week?”

“It was then I found out what kind of person he truly is – can you properly introduce us?!”

Ace froze slightly not sure what to do here

Yes, he and Luffy had talked about the fight. Luffy had mentioned to Ace  that yes, he had fought with the Boa sisters and that Hancock had cancelled the fight midway and then Luffy merely left, not willing to stay and get into more trouble – _so what the fuck led to this scene in front of him_?!

But now he was torn. Obviously Hancock seemed to have developed a crush on Luffy, but Luffy has a crush on Law, Law seems to be crushing back and uuurgh, this is turning into a wildly bad YA novel – go figure

On the other hand

“Sure, I’ll introduce you two at the dance. There’s no harm in you getting to know him and for him to know more people”

“Ahh! Thank you, Ace!”

Tonight’s going to be a weird night, Ace just knew it

 

Ace walked into the dance with Hancock on his arm and her other gang members following suite with her sisters. Hancock revelled in the attention as everyone stopped and turned to look at her but Ace really just wanted to get to that buffet table!

Soon enough, Ace was allowed to disperse and beelined right to the food – and as he feared a good chunk of it was already gone

“Son of a bitch!”

“Man, if only I had a wonderful brother who would squirrel away food for his stupid deprived brother who had to wait until much later to arrive so that his date could make an entrance and if he didn’t have said brother would be left with sad sad leftovers”

Ace turned around and smiled brightly, as Sabo was standing there, holding a plate that had food piled on to it

“Sabo, Sabo, I fucking love you so much right now.”

“Is the night you two finally makeout?” asked Koala, holding onto Sabo’s arm, smirking

Ace laughed, taking the plate of food and started to dig in. Koala and Sabo looked really sharp right now! Sabo was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with a dark purple waistcoat and black pants. Koala on the other hand was wearing a strapless short ruffled dress that was Dark blue but the dress was layered and it slowly faded into a dark purple

“You guys look awesome! It’s like the galaxy!”

Koala chuckled “Thank you! You look nice, weirdly tame for you though”

“It’s what happens when Ace has to match his date”

“Oh, that’s sad. You still look good though!”

“Thank you! Have you seen the others?” asked Ace, looking around. The dance was pretty packed right now

“Luffy is right over there with his group of friends.” started Sabo, pointing towards the familiar straw hat – typical of Sabo to know exactly where Luffy is

“Oh wow! Luffy looks great, did you do that?” asked Ace, surprised. Luffy was wearing a dark red dress shirt with a thin black tie and black pants with a nice leather belt and his usual sandals. No way to ever get him to abandon those without a fight. Ace never bought him that outfit though – so where did he get it?!

“Nope, apparently Sanji use to wear Luffy’s size years ago, so he dressed him.” explained Sabo

Ace couldn’t help but smile, good old Sanji. Then he blinked, it seems Law and his group had arrived as well and meshed with Luffy’s group

“Have you seen Marco and the others?” asked Ace, half looking around as he kept eating. Once he was done eating (thankfully he rarely fell asleep standing up) he was going to go dance up a storm, but honestly he was looking really forward to tomorrow morning where he could see Smoker again and Justice!

Sabo frowned, probably noticing Ace’s lack of wanting to go look for Marco and the others

“Avoiding?”

“Not particularly”

“Distracted?”

“ _Absolutely_ ”

Sabo laughed, softly punching Ace’s arm

“You’re here to party!”

“Distracted over what?” asked Koala, looking at them both as she sipped her punch. She frowned slightly, looking down at her glass and shrugged. Ace lifted a brow – guess it tasted funny?

“I’m dogsitting this weekend!”

“Oooh that’s a fun distraction!” said Koala “Who’s dog?”

“The Captain’s!”

“Oh wow! Already babysitting your boyfriend’s dog? That’s impressive!”

Oh what the-!?

“ _Sabo! You told her?!”_

Sabo groaned, slapping his hand on his face as Koala chuckled darkly

“No, but _you just did_!”

_Oh sh-!_

“Haha! I knew you two had started to secretly date! Way to keep your guard down around me, sucker!”

“How the hell did you figure it out?!” whined Ace, shit, he fucked up!

“Oh, you went from mopey to super happy in like, a night. So I figured you took my advice but couldn’t talk about it – so bam! _Dating your bae_.”

“Did you just call him _bae_?” asked Sabo, a little weirded out – Ace completely understood, Smoker was a man in his 30’s, not a youth

“Well we need a code so that we’re able to talk about him!” explained Koala

“ _Ace’s girlfriend in Canada_ ” suggested Sabo, smirking

“Oh wow, _fuck you_ and your Avenue Q reference and well done” Ace felt like such a moron right now. _He really needed to be more careful_. Today alone Officer Trafalgar and Koala caught on and it’s only been a week!

“Alright, we’ll talk about this another time, now, let’s go dance!” suggested Koala, bright smiles as she grabbed both of their hands. Ace laughed, pulling back slightly

“Just let me get a drink, I’m super thirsty” said Ace as he grabbed a glass and filled it to the rim, quickly chugging it down

“ACE! NO! YOU CAN’T CHUG THAT!” cried Koala, holding her hands up

“Why not?!” asked Sabo, confused

“Because someone spiked it!”

_Oh shit_

Ace blinked, looking at his now empty drink – wow, _good job, Portgas_!

“Ace, are you okay?” asked Sabo, cautious

“Yeah, yeah, just, pretty sure I’m going to be pretty buzzed by the end of the night, let’s go dancing before it kicks in!”

 

Sabo, Koala and Ace soon tore up the dance floor. There was next to nothing Ace loved more than dancing. Surrounding yourself with good people, great music, closing your eyes and letting your body go with the rhythm. He was beyond excited for the annual Halloween bash thrown by the Whitebeard gang because this year Marco was letting him plan it – so it was going to be wild!

Soon enough, Luffy and his gang joined Sabo, Koala and Ace as they danced more. Ace couldn’t help but admire how everyone looked so sharp tonight! All the guys were in nice dress shirts and nice slacks, it looked like all of Luffy’s friends had coordinated their looks to all wear the same thing but with different dress shirt colours!  The girls in stunning dresses! Nami was wearing a two layered dress that started dark blue and finished a light blue and Vivi’s dress was the opposite, really making them a unit! It was just really great!

“C’mere” stated Ace as he pulled Sabo forward from the waist, pulling him closer. Sabo chuckled low as he moved right up to Ace as the two of them started to dance in sync. Ace tipped his head, close to Sabo’s ear

“I can’t believe Koala got me like that”

Sabo sighed

“She’s crafty like that, she suspected you right away from your happy sounding tweets. But don’t take it to heart; Koala is extra sensitive to every slight change to someone’s mood. She told me it was a skill she learned as a slave.”

“I guess, I still feel dumb. Officer Trafalgar caught on this morning as well. All I did was accidentally call Chase by his first name”

“Ace. _He’s a freaking World Government Spy_! Of course he caught on”

“I guess”

Ace wasn’t buying it, he still felt dumb

“Seriously, relax! Otherwise you’re going to get caught.”

“Good point”

 

“Isn’t it a little early to makeout at the dance?”

Ace turned and looked at Marco and the others who had apparently found them

“Naw, this is how they have private conversations” pipped up Koala, who apparently had started dancing with – Robin?!

“Oh! Miss Nico, you’re here?” asked Ace, surprised as he and Sabo pulled apart slightly. Robin was wearing a simple long sleeved black dress that hugged every curve just right

“Why yes, as a chaperone, my husband is here as well, I think he’s over there chatting with Brook” explained Robin, pointing towards the two at the table

_How is he still not wearing pants?!_

“Oh cool!”

“That said, Sabo, Ace, Franky told me about your project in metalworks, he’s really impressed with it!” said Robin, smiling

“Thanks! We’ve been working really hard on th-“

 

“ _Ace!”_

 

Ace turned around and spotted Hancock staring right at him, arms crossed. She looked beyond annoyed, standing there with her arms crossed

“Oh, shit, right, I had something to do”

Robin merely chuckled

“Go, she doesn’t look very happy right now”

 

Ace went up to Hancock, gesturing with his hand for her to come along. She followed as he brought her right up to Luffy, who was just about to take a drink – so Ace snatched it up and gave him a bottle of water

“No punch for you” and Ace quickly downed the punch

“Huh?! Why not?!” whined Luffy, opening the bottle of water and drinking it

“Because it’s spiked and you’re too young.” Technically so was Ace, but details

“ _Ahem_!”

“Oh, even though you have already sorta met, Luffy, his Hancock Boa, Hancock, this is Luffy D.Monkey, my little brother. Now make nice nice and be friends and stuff.”

_What the hell was that last part?_

“Hello Luffy! I’m so happy to have finally properly met you!”

Luffy blinked slowly, confused about the whole ordeal. The idea of being ‘properly introduced’ was foreign to him

“But we already met?”

“So Luffy, do you have a date tonight? I could be your date if you need one!”

_Heeeyy_! If Hancock was that willing to switch dates, Ace could have been there on time and worn the suit he wanted! _This is bullshit!_

“Aren’t you Ace’s date? That’s kinda mean.” replied Luffy, frowning

“It’s fine Luffy, _she lacks all of the parts I like_ , minus her height.” Whoops! That’s not something completely sober Ace would say – guess it was starting to kick in

“If you weren’t Luffy’s brother, I’d smack you!” replied Hancock, not impressed

“Me being gay is probably the worst kept secret in the city, let’s be real” Oooh boy, it was time to bounce from this situation

Law walked up to them, sipping on a glass of punch

“You know that’s –“

“Spiked? Yeah, I’m not going home so a drink won’t kill me.” replied Law, clearly nursing his drink “And besides, I think Zoro already drank half of it with Sanji.”

Ace blinked, looking around and he couldn’t see Sanji and Zoro anymore

“Where did they go anyways?”

“Out back. I saw them leave together, but they looked like they were about to fight.”

“Hehe, nice.” replied Ace, chuckling

_‘Fight’_

Law raised a brow at him before he could say anything though, Luffy grabbed Law’s arm

“Let’s go dance, Torao!”

“Me too, Luffy! I’ll come dance!” added Hancock, smiling brightly as she followed Luffy as he was dragging Law to the dance floor

This was some fucked up shit

 

Soon enough they did the crowning of the King and Queen of homecoming. And as expected Ace and Hancock won. They did their dance together and Ace found himself back by the food table. Not eating, just leaning against the wall, and watching the others enjoy themselves. Honestly crowds tired him out rather easily. He liked to pretend they didn’t, but after a while, he found it exhausting. The alcohol had definitely kicked in now and he was buzzed. Not drunk, just buzzed enough that he knew that if he had a few more drinks he’d go into drunk mode. Thankfully he wasn’t a bad drunk.

“Hey, you tired out?” asked Sabo, leaning against the wall besides him

“Naw, pleasantly buzzed, watching everyone enjoy themselves.” replied Ace with an easy smile on his face

“All you can see is Luffy from here.” pointed out Sabo, with a grin

“It’s a good view, I like watching him enjoy himself, wells up the happy in me.”

Sabo chuckled

“I completely understand that”

“I’m supposed to be at Chase’s house by 6am tomorrow morning. I don’t know how I’ll make it, Sabo. Sober Ace could, Buzzed Ace isn’t so sure.”

“Well, Sober Sabo has an idea that Buzzed Ace might like.”

“Buzzed Ace is all ears.”

“Go tonight.”

Ace blinked slowly and then turned to look right at Sabo

“You, sir, might be a genius!”

“You already have an overnight bag in your locker, right? Instead of going to the Whitebeards, go to Chase’s. It’s not like you’re falling down drunk or anything, just buzzed.”

“And I’ll get to see Justice and Chase!”

“And that!”

“Are you going home tonight?” asked Ace, pointing to Sabo – why was he pointing?!

Sabo grinned brightly

“Nope! I’m going to Koala’s, Hack is out for the night”

“Hehehehehe” Ace knew he sounded like an idiot right now, but he was happy for his brother for getting some action

 

“What are you two laughing about?” asked Koala as she walked up to them

“You making Sabo a man tonight!” exclaimed Ace, grinning

Koala barked out a laugh, clutching her stomach

“Oh my god! I did that _years ago_ , Ace. _Please!_ ”

Ace did a low whistle

“Well you two kids have fun! I’m going to bounce and start my dogsitting early before this party goes to hell!”

“Have fun, Ace! Be sure to take lots of pictures of the dog!” said Koala, smiling

“I’ll keep an eye out for Luffy until he leaves, okay?” stated Sabo, Ace curtly nodded

“Thank you, Sabo. You are a very good co-parent. But one last thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t you think Coach Kyros and Dr. Kureha should be Kronk and Yzma for Halloween?!”

“Ace, get out of here!”

 

Ace skipped out of the dance. He tried to wave at Marco to let him know he was leaving but Marco didn’t see him. Meh, he’ll figure it out. He then went to his locker and grabbed his back with his change of clothes and supplies. Sabo was such a genius! He can’t be late if _he’s already there_!

Ace decided to take the backdoors to leave since it would be faster to get to Chase’s through the football field, but the moment he stepped through the door – he spotted something that blew his mind

There against the brick wall was Sanji splayed against the wall, long slender legs loosely wrapped around Zoro’s waist as the two of them grinded against each other. Sanji’s hands were buried deep into Zoro’s hair while Zoro’s hands were holding up Sanji against the wall, one hand on Sanji’s waist and the other was grabbing his ass. The two of them were hotly making out, mouths open, devouring each other against the wall.

Ace merely chuckled, _he fucking knew it_. He pulled out his phone and took a picture – in case the two of them wanted a souvenir! Oooh maybe for their wedding montage! _God, he was a genius_! Ace then put away his phone away and ran off across the football field – excited to get to Chase’s house and to start his night

_This was such a great idea!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RUH ROH
> 
> What will happen now?!? Will Ace blow it?? Will Zoro and Sanji keep making out?!? 
> 
> YOU SHALL SEE! Well, Law's side of the story! Next week, kids!


	29. – LAW – Now It All Makes Sense (You’re All Monkeys!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now Law's side of the dance! 
> 
> Don't want to say much because there's already a lot going on!

 

 

 

“What’s this dance’s theme anyways?”

“Under the sea, I think?” said Bepo, looking around

They had gotten to the dance a little bit after 7pm, so early, but not early enough to have to awkwardly stand around. Law had stashed his overnight bag in his locker and told himself he’d come pick it up when he was leaving

“You nervous, Law?” asked Shachi, taking a glass of punch

“Why would I be nervous?”

Shit! _Was he being that obvious_?!

“Uh, because you’re spending the night at your crush’s place? You’re so lucky, dude. That kind of shit won’t happen until like, college for us”

Law raised a brow, confused “Why not? Aside from your faces and personalities”

“RUDE!” cried all three of them at Law, making him laugh

“Because no girl’s parent is going to let a guy sleep over at her house! But because it’s two dudes here, nobody will think twice” explained Penguin

Law was in awe at how dumb that explanation sounded

“That sounds dumb” replied Bepo

“But sadly true.  It’s like how Nami and Vivi can have allll the sleepovers together they want and it probably looks totally innocent but they’re just hooking up.” added Shachi, gesturing to the girls that just walked in

“So they _are_ dating” said Law, watching the group walk in

***

Instantly, Luffy latched himself to Law, smiling brightly

“Are you excited about tonight, Torao?! Sabo said we can use his Netflix account so we have tons of movies to pick from and Ace brought over the box of games that we can play!”

Law blushed slightly, not sure how to handle the situation at hand

And his asshole friends who were just grinning at him

“Yeah, I’m excited”

“Hehe, awesome! Let’s go dance!”

 

Law _had_ no intention to dance

But apparently Luffy had other plans for him that night

A few things had surprised him

Bepo wasn’t lying about the dance skills, he actually was an amazing dancer

And dancing was actually kinda fun

_Not that he’d ever admit that_

But soon enough, he was thirsty and had navigated to the buffet table. By now, most of the food was gone and there was only the subpar pieces left. Law had poured himself a drink and took a sip – instantly frowning

_There was alcohol in this!_

Law sniffed his drink a bit and frowned sharply

_And cheap alcohol to boot!_

Meh.

Zoro soon came to the table with Sanji, both of them pouring drinks for themselves

“Heads up, there’s booze in there.” warned Law, nursing his own drink

“Good” replied Zoro, taking a huge gulp of his own drink as Sanji rolled his eyes

“Can’t you go one evening without drinking?”

“Says the priss who drinks wine every night”

“Wine is complimentary to meals, you dumb oaf!”

“Whatever, bet you can’t even hold your liquor!”

“You want to bet!?”

 Annnd that was Law’s queue to bounce

 

Law somehow found himself dancing again with Luffy and his friends. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw everyone enjoying themselves. They soon gravitated towards Ace, Sabo and Koala, enjoying themselves until he saw Ace pull away slightly to talk to Sabo

Well, he _thinks_ they’re talking

Then Hancock pulled Ace away, making Law raise a brow. It was weird that they were dates. Considering Law knew about Ace’s feelings for the Captain, he didn’t think Ace’s sexuality was much of a secret? Oh well, maybe Ace was looking for a beard. Weird he took the biggest man hater in school for it.

Law was knocked out of his thoughts when Zoro knocked his shoulder as he and Sanji stormed past him, sniping at each other as they exited by the gym’s back door. _Weird._ But then he went towards the buffet table, wanting a moment of rest and spotted that the punch bowl was nearly empty

Uh

_How much did these two drink?_

Law was about to take another sip but then

“You know that’s –“

“Spiked? Yeah, I’m not going home so a drink won’t kill me.” replied Law as he looked at Ace. His cheeks were a bit flushed. Law wasn’t sure if it was the dancing or the booze

“And besides, I think Zoro already drank half of it with Sanji.”

Ace blinked, looking around

“Where did they go anyways?”

“Out back. I saw them leave together, but they looked like they were about to fight.”

“Hehe, nice.” replied Ace, chuckling

Law raised a brow at him – _what did that mean?_ But before he could ask, Luffy came and grabbed his arm!

“Let’s go dance, Torao!”

“Me too, Luffy! I’ll come dance!” added Hancock, smiling brightly as she followed Luffy as he was dragging Law to the dance floor

Law frowned – _why was she following them?_

Luffy shifted Law so that they were facing each other and restarted to dance besides their friends

“Zoro and Sanji went outside, I think they’re gonna fight and they might be pretty drunk”

Luffy laughed

“Oooh, we should go watch then! Their fights are always really cool!”

 

“Are those idiots starting trouble?” asked Nami, looking towards them in disbelief, Vivi merely giggled

“Do not talk so familiarly with Luffy!” replied Hancock, cutting in

The fuck?!

“Luffy darling, you should face me so that we can dance better together!” replied Hancock, turning Luffy around, who looked confused

“Uh, you can relax _, I’m her girlfriend_.” said Nami, pointing towards Vivi who just waved “And also I can talk to Luffy all I want, _he’s my friend_!”

Hancock was about to say something but Luffy cut her off

“I can talk to Nami all I want! And anyone else too!”

Hancock fast closed her mouth

“Yeah” answered Law, wanting to change the subject “Sanji and Zoro went outside, sniping at each other, pretty sure they’re drunk.”

“I knew the punch was spiked! I saw Bellamy holding a big paper bag with bottles in it in the hallway!” stated Usopp

“Chopper! You can’t drink the punch, okay?” warned Nami, Chopper nodded

“Roger that!”

“Guys, did you hear” said Law, looking at Penguin, Shachi and Bepo

“Got it!”

 

Soon enough the King and Queen got announced and Law understood why they came together. They probably knew that they were going to win. But after that, Law saw Ace more and more remove himself from the crowd until he was finally against the wall, talking with Sabo and Koala before he left the room

Law shrugged it off and kept enjoying his time. It was weird to finally have more of a chance to be well – normal. Overall, he couldn’t say that it wasn’t a nice normal ni-

 

“ _Let me in! My Grandsons are in there and I have a right to see them_!”

“Excuse me,sir! The dance is for students only! If you’re here to pick up a student, you must wait for them in the lobby and we can go get them for you!” stated Connis, a teacher’s aid, trying to hold back the large man. Man, Law felt super bad for her now

Law turned and saw Franky and Robin back up slightly, trying to blend into the room and not be seen – _what the hell_?

“Have any of you seen Ace?!”

Law blinked, surprised to see a distraught Marco in front of him

Sabo quickly popped in between them, grabbing Luffy, pulling him away

“Wha-“

“CODE GRAMPS!” said Sabo as both he and Luffy dove under the buffet table

“What is going on?!” demanded Hancock, looking around, instantly hostile when she saw the large man

“What the hell is code Gramps?!” said Law, but then he noticed his phone vibrating. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked – a notification reminder?! A message from Cora?!

_Cora:_

_Beware of Hurricane Monkey_

 

“What the fuck does that mean?!” said Law out loud, looking at his phone confused

“YOU! Where are my grandsons!” yelled this large man as he charged up to Marco, who merely stood firmed

“I have no idea.”

“Stop lying to me or I will pluck every hair off your head like feathers, _Phoenix_!”

“Who the hell?”

“ _That’s Luffy and Ace’s grandfather_.” whispered Nami in Law’s ear, making him stand straight, surprised

“I’m telling you, I have no idea where the hell Ace is – I’ve been looking for him myself. But his bag is gone from his locker.”

Ace is missing?

Law could have sworn he saw Ace a minute ago? Wait! He was with Sabo, and if Sabo’s now under the tab-

Law quickly turned to look at the table, only to see Luffy’s arm sneaking out from under the tablecloth, trying to grab a snack off the table

Garp’s suddenly turned around, eyeing in on the hand like a hawk and charged towards the table, quickly grabbing underneath and pulling them both out

“You thought you could hide from me?!”

Garp had grabbed Luffy by the collar of his shirt and Sabo by the leg as he dragged them both out. Law stared amazed that a man his age had such strength

“Waitaminute, what’s this guy’s full name?” asked Law, turning around to ask Nami that as standing behind him

“Garp D. Monkey, why?”

_Beware of Hurricane Monkey!_

Apparently Cora was warning him about this hulk of a man, shit

 

“Waitaminute, you’re not Ace! You’re Sabo, aren’t you!? You’re supposed to be dead?! Why aren’t you dead?!” asked Garp, surprised as he kept holding onto Sabo’s leg, holding it up and folding Sabo into an odd position

“I got better! Now let me go!” demanded Sabo, trying to wiggle out of the position

“Why is his man manhandling my Luffy!” asked Hancock, furious

Law frowned, he wasn’t sure if Sabo was overpowered or was holding back his strength because Law couldn’t understand how Sabo hadn’t broken out of that hold yet

“No! Where’s Ace?! You two are usually attached to the hip! Tell me where he is!”

“No!”

“So you _know_ where he is?! Tell me or I’ll give you a whooping!”

“No! I’m not telling you!”

“Let me go, Gramps!!” cried out Luffy, trying to wiggle out

Law frowned sharply, moving forward to intervene, but Koala walked past him, pushing Law and Hancock slightly back

 

“Oye. Put my boyfriend down, _now_.”

All eyes turned towards Koala who looked furious, hands on her hips into fists as she glared at Garp

Garp raised a brow

“ _Luffy has a girlfriend_?”

“No! Sabo, you dolt! Now put him down! Now!” demanded Koala

Garp merely chuckled, smirking down at Koala

“ _Or what?”_

Koala frowned even more as she stepped forward

Law knew shit was going to go down in a second

Without Garp having the time to realize it, Koala had gotten into his space, landed a kick on Garp’s wrist, causing him to let go of Sabo, turned inside, grabbed Garp’s collar and pulled him down to her height

“ _Or this_. Now let Luffy go too – _now_!”

Garp looked at her stunned, but then his face split into a giant smile as he started to laugh

“Damn! I’m really impressed, little lady! Ever think of joining the World Government Marines? We’d love to have a tenacious little lady like you!”

“Fuck no!” spat out Koala as she stood on Sabo’s side as he got up

“Ace isn’t here” stated Sabo, looking right at Garp “He had a prior obligation this weekend so he had to go.”

“What kind of prior obligation?” asked Garp, suspicious

Law frowned; he could see Marco and the other Whitebeards listening in

“Dogsitting” replied Sabo, shrugging his shoulders. Marco slapped his own forehead

“Oh that’s right! But isn’t that tomorrow?” asked Marco, cutting in

“Yeah, but they’re leaving for Loguetown tomorrow morning at 6am, Ace wasn’t sure he could get there in time, so I suggested he goes tonight instead. He said he was going to tell you?”

Marco rolled his eyes really hard – Law was surprised they didn’t roll right out of his head

“ _Fucking Portgas_ , he does this all the goddamn time! Okay, well that explains that.”

 

“Why are you here anyways, Gramps?” asked Luffy, looking obviously put out

“Because my old pal Sengoku was coming down here to go see his son so I figured I’d tag along and visit my grandsons!” explained Garp, grinning

Luffy whined loudly, looking to the side

“Why tonight though? I have plans!”

Law turned red as Luffy looked at him

“What?! Are you embarrassed of your old man?!” asked Garp, surprised

“Who the hell wouldn’t be! You crashed into here like a bull in heat, grabbed two students and acted like a giant asshole!” replied Koala, clearly still pissed. Law didn’t miss how much pride Sabo was beaming

Garp turned to Koala and sighed, the remorse clear

“Ahh you make a good point. Man Sabo, watch out for this one. She’s gonna run your household for sure”

“Then I know I’m in good hands” replied Sabo, big smile on his face

“Anyways, Luffy, c’mon. I’ll give you a ride home, got a taxi waiting out front”

“But I’m supposed to go home with Law tonight!” said Luffy, pointing to Law

_Oh_

_F U C K_

“Uh” started Law as Garp turned around to look right at him

“I don’t care, bring him too. C’mon! Move it!”

Luffy merely chuckled, grabbing Law’s hand and dragging him out of the dance

Law’s eyes met Bepo’s and the other’s as they merely watched him get dragged off, pity in their eyes as Garp followed suit

 

Law quickly collected his bag and went towards the main doors, but before they could, Luffy grabbed Law’s arm and stopped him

“My Gramps is a scary man and I don’t want him to scare you off, okay? I don’t care what Gramps says. I decide things!” stated Luffy determined

Law blinked slowly, not sure what to make out of anything that Luffy just said but nodded back at Luffy

“Okay. I’ve seen scarier anyways. You should see some of the weirdoes I was with when I was with the Donquixote gang” teased Law, wanting to break the tension

Luffy laughed, grabbing Law’s arm as they walked out of the school

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“This huge guy with a high pitch squealy voice”

Luffy’s laugh was making butterflies flutter in Law’s stomach so he just kept going

“This guy who was always snotty and stuffed up and he got the snot _everywhere_ ”

“Hahaha _gross_!!”

 

“What the hell took you two so lo-“ Garp’s voice left him as he looked down, noticing that Luffy had his arms wrapped around Law’s arm.

Law instantly tensed up when he saw Garp glared at him

“This is Torao” started Luffy “We’re going to have a small sleepover tonight in my room”

Law blinked slowly, he could feel Luffy’s pulse with his chest being pressed against Law’s arm

Luffy was…excited? Scared? Nervous? Bottom line – his heart was beating extremely fast

What kind of relationship did Luffy have with his grandfather?

“Torao? That’s a weird ass name!”

_Coming from a guy called Garp?!_

“My name is Law Trafalgar. Luffy nicknamed me Torao.” simply replied Law, following along as Luffy dragged him into the cab’s back seat

Garp got into the shotgun seat much to Law and clearly Luffy’s pleasure, feeling Luffy’s pulse calm down a bit

“Corvo district, my good man!” said Garp as he buckled himself in. The cab driver’s face went pale

“No way. I can drive you to edge of Grayline Terminal and that’s it, _I am not going to Corvo_!”

Garp frowned sharply, turning towards the driver

“ _You are taking us to Corvo_.” stated Garp

“No way! We’re not allowed! You can’t pay me enough to take me there!” replied the cab driver

Law raised a brow. _Was Corvo really that bad_?

But as he said that, he saw a familiar car pull up

“Oh, Cora’s here.”

Luffy blinked, smiling brightly as he opened the cab door

“I want to go say hi!”

“Luffy wait!” said Law as he got out of the car, to chase after Luffy

 

Luffy ran up to the park car just as Cora was getting out of it – somehow alone?

“Mister Rosisi!”

Cora blinked, laughing as Luffy ran up to him, all smiled

“Hey! I thought you two would be gone by now!”

“I figured you wouldn’t be alone.” pointed out Law

Cora sighed, scratching his head

“Ahh jetlag hit him pretty hard after dinner, so he went right to bed”

“Oh perfect! Sengoku’s kid! Hey, we’re going to need a ride” explained Garp as he walked up to them carrying his suitcase and apparently tons of grocery bags? Law didn’t miss how awkward Cora suddenly looked like

“A-Ah?”

“Stupid cab driver didn’t want to take me to Corvo like a freaking coward!”

Law then glared at Cora, suddenly remembering the text

“That’s what you meant-?!”

_-when you sent that goddamn text?!_

“Haha yeah, sorry, it was sudden, I was shocked myself.”

“You could have asked!”

Honestly! He knew how they were!

“I know, I know, I just didn’t expect it. Lack of foresight, won’t happen twice.”

“ _So? Ride or not, Donquixote?!”_

_What the fuck did he just say?!_

“Is it for you, Law?” asked Cora, looking directly and only at Law, grabbing his arm to center him. Law nodded curtly; frankly he just wanted to be out of this parking lot, the old man was lucky that Cora had grounded him then and there

Cora smiled warmly

“I’ll gladly give you a ride – just let me pick up Bepo first, okay?”

“ _What the hell is a Bepo_?” asked Garp, confused

“My brother!” snapped Law, getting irritated; it only made Cora and Luffy chuckle

“Also Garp, please remember not to call me that name in public” sing-songed Cora, trying to smile as nicely as he possibly could

“Oh crap – you’re right! I forgot”

Law blinked, it wasn’t malicious? Just…was he just an idiot?!

 

Bepo soon came outside and burst into laughter as he saw the group together. They were soon herded into the car. Bepo, Luffy and Law sat in the back with Luffy in the middle. Law couldn’t miss how Luffy kept pressing himself against him to show something on his phone. Law couldn’t help but notice that Ace had a ratty old flip phone while Luffy had a really nice up-to-date phone. Was Ace responsible for the differences in their phones? Law also noticed that Luffy always made a point to show Bepo as well as Law whatever he was looking at – but he only pressed himself against Law

“So, these are the two boys you adopted!”

Cora grunted as he kept his eyes right on the road as he drove through town

“Seems Luffy has taken a liking to the moody one.”

Law glared at the back of Garp’s seat, not willing to get into any arguments right now

Cora nodded again and Law smirked as Garp continued to go on and on about whatever thought that crossed his mind

_Cora was playing mute._

Cora had a tendency when he was dealing with someone unpleasant or he was forced into a situation with someone he found unpleasant that he would limit the things he would say or downright not talk to them.

Law blinked, surprised when his screen lit up – notifying him that he had a message. He quickly checked it, surprised to see it was from Cora himself

 

_Cora:_

_Sorry how awkward this has to be, it would have been better had this monkey not shown up and ruined your night_

Law smiled softly at the message – typical Cora, worried about him as usual

“Oye Luffy! Since when did you find out that Sabo wasn’t dead?!”

Luffy blinked, surprised

“Umm, this summer. He had amnesia after the accident and didn’t remember anything, including us, but when he saw Ace’s billboards, it all came back to him and he went to find us.”

“Huh, wonder how he survived that”

“He said Dragon saved him”

Suddenly the car stopped as both Cora and Garp turned around to look at Luffy

“Like, Dragon, head of the Revolutionary Army Dragon?!” asked Cora, absolutely shocked

“That’s right; I forgot he settled around here, did you get to meet your father, Luffy?”

 “Wait, what?! _Luffy’s father is Dragon_?!” squawked out Cora, shocked

“Your dad is a mega badass, Luffy?!” asked Bepo, also shocked

“Naw, I didn’t meet him.” replied Luffy, but then he frowned “I’m hungry.”

“A-Ah. Then we might as well get you home, yes.” said Cora as he restarted driving towards their home

 

Cora soon enough dropped them off at the path that lead to Luffy’s home. Law paused for a moment, holding his door open until he saw Garp go down the path. He originally was waiting for Luffy as well, but Luffy was waiting on him. Law turned bright red before he opened returned into the car to give Bepo a hug. Cora chuckled softly before Law forced his way between the two seats and hugged Cora the best he could as well

“Must be nervous, first time away from home since we moved here.” stated Cora, smiling

“Nngh, just a little, it’s fine, I’m fine.” stated Law, burying his face in Cora’s chest – what a shitty time for the anxiety to well up

“You’ll do just great, I believe in you Law. I love you and I’ll come pick you up in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’re going to have loads of fun. Luffy’s a good kid and you can tell he really cares about you.”

“But-“

“You won’t fuck up. And even if you do, I have faith in you that you’ll be able to fix it anyways.”

“How are-“

“Because I’ve seen you at your absolute worst and I still couldn’t hate you. Not even a little bit.”

“But you’re _you_.”

“And I think Luffy and I are more alike than you think. Look! He’s waiting for you.”

Law turned his head slightly and saw that Luffy was still standing there, at the start of the path, drawing in the dirt with his finger. Law’s eyes widen slightly, he figured that Luffy would have just walked away with Garp and he’d catch up

“Shit! I didn’t think he was waiting!” said Law as he scrambled out of the hug and grabbed his bag, trying to get out of the car quickly

“Relax, Law! It’s okay! We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Bye Law! Have a fun night and text me the deets!” replied Bepo, smiling

Law nodded, smiling slightly, the anxiety still kinda there and exited the car. He waved at them as they drove away, not noticing that Luffy was right beside him, waving as well

“Said your goodbyes?” asked Luffy, smiling brightly

“Uh…yeah.” said Law a little nervously. It was one hell of a long goodbye; Luffy probably thought he was some sort of baby or something

“I like Mister Rosisi! And Bepo too! You have a really great family, Law, I can see why you wanted to stay with them a little longer!” exclaimed Luffy as he took Law’s hand, making the other blush furiously

“Yeah, they’re really great.” replied Law, beyond nervous now. Luffy was being so touchy and grabby and he wasn’t use to this with people that weren’t Cora and Bepo and he’s pretty sure he’s going to die at some point tonight

“Now c’mon! Let’s go to my place! Ace told me where he stashed snacks for us! And you have to meet everyone before we can go to my room since Dadan told me so!”

“Everyone?! How many people live here?!”

“Umm, like 20 people?” said Luffy as he pulled Law forward, towards the house

“20?!” exclaimed Law, shocked

“Yeah! You’ll see! We’re going to have loads of fun!”

“I…I hope so”

_Maybe it wasn’t too late to call Cora back_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So next chapter we're back to Cora! I hope you all enjoyed the dance!


	30. – CORA – Someone Has The Makings of A Honeytrap (But I'm a Former Spy So Screw You!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are at the diner! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

 

 

 

“I heard wonderful things about this place, Rosinante. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!” declared Sengoku as they walked in

Cora had hoped that Sengoku would have wanted to rest up at home first before coming over, so that he could give a call to the place and tell them that if Izo was working that he _didn’t want him to serve them_ – but nooo, Sengoku wanted to come right away! Honestly Cora was baffled that they had no issues with him bringing the goat! Daisy was a sweet thing though

“Konbawa, dear sirs, welcome to Foxfire’s” said an older woman. Cora blinked, holy crap she was all decked out in an expensive kimono as she bowed to them. Sengoku and Cora bowed slightly back

“Please, come this way” offered the woman as she led them to an isolate private room “We are so happy that you have chosen to eat here, Kunrinsuru-san”

“It’s my pleasure, if this place holds up to its reputation; it will have been worth it.” replied Sengoku as Cora desperately looked around

There was no sight of Izo so far!

“ _Rosinante_! What’s wrong with you?” asked Sengoku, frowning

“A-Ah, this place sometimes has a geisha working, I was wondering if they were in!” mumbled Cora quietly, hoping that the woman didn’t overhear

“They better be in!” replied Sengoku as they were led inside only to see Izo kneeling beside the seat of honor. Cora stared at Izo in awe for a moment. Last time they had been there, Izo was wearing the traditional garbs, now he was in more ceremonial ones. The wealth of the outfit was apparent and the amount of jewels and hair decorations was overwhelming

_If Cora didn’t know that he was a freaking spy for the Whitebeards, he’d be almost impressed_

“Because I reserved her” finished Sengoku as he kneeled beside Izo, who automatically poured Sengoku a cup of tea as Daisy settled in the back, apparently an area with food and pillows had been prepared for her

“I-I see. Haha.” replied Cora as he sat across from Sengoku, kneeling as well

“Konbawa dear sirs. I’m very happy to spend this evening with you.” said Izo, graceful in every movement he did

“Can you speak Japanese?” asked Sengoku, lifting a brow

«Of course I can, Kunrinsuru-san »

«Excellent, now I’m going to go to the bathroom and I’m hoping to have your finest sake on the table when I return»

«Of course, Kunrinsuru-san »

Sengoku got up and left the room, quietly sliding the door shut. Cora instantly sat up, pointing at Izo

 

“ _Listen and fucking listen good_! Don’t you _dare_ repeat a word of what is discussed here tonight _or I swear to god!_ ”

“You think I’m afraid of you?!” asked Izo as he took a pistol out of his sleeve “How about this – _you fuck this up for me and I shoot your daddy dead!_ ”

“Why the fuck do you have a gun?! You know I’m a fucking cop?!” snarled Cora, furious but also shocked

_How dare this tiny upstart?!_

“You think I care?! _I have freaking Sengoku as a client_! I’m the best goddamn shot in this country! Don’t mess with me! I will _fuck him_ to get information if I need to!”

Cora paused, frowning

_Urgh gawd no he didn’t need that visual_

“Ew, please don’t.”

Then Cora shook his head, regaining himself

“I can’t have you knowing secrets!” replied Cora

“ _Well then don’t say any secrets!”_ replied Izo, standing up, heading towards the exit “Not my fault if clients babble private stuff.”

“Geisha’s are supposed to keep secrets!!” yelled Cora as Izo left the room “That’s literally one of the rules!”

 

Izo soon returned with the sake, pouring a cup for Sengoku as Cora politely declined, asking for a cup of tea instead.

“Look. How about this. If we talk about anything delicate and your overhear it? That’s my bad. But if I purposely avoid all topics of the sort-“

“I can’t force you to talk about certain things.” replied Izo, rolling his eyes, but then he smirked “Actually, _pretty sure I can_.”

“ _Izo!”_

“Fine fine, I’ll be good. Yeesh, skipped the dance for this, you owe me at least some juicy news.” replied Izo, rolling his eyes and mumbling under his breath

Cora’s eyes narrowed at the ‘yare yare dawa’, _as if he wouldn’t catch that!_

Sengoku then walked in and kneeled back at his seat as Izo sat beside him, Cora blinked, shocked as Izo went right back into his geisha mode

 

«You remind me of home, dear. Isn’t she beautiful? Rosinante, find yourself a beautiful woman like this one. What’s your name anyways? »

Cora bit his lip, looking to the side

«No thanks »

«My name is Izo»

Sengoku frowned «Awfully masculine name»

«Well, he is a man» replied Cora nonchalantly, taking a sip of tea

«What?! You are?! »

Izo’s eyes narrowed slightly at Cora, clearly not impressed with him. Izo bowed deeply at Sengoku

«I hope that doesn’t displease you»

Sengoku blinked and then laughed brightly

«Well I’ll be damned! Rosinante! How did you know?! »

«Mister Trafalgar here has been here before.» replied Izo as he handed the menus over to Sengoku and Cora

«Also Izo here goes to school with Law and Bepo.» added Cora

«You’re in high school? So young and already a geisha?! » replied Sengoku, shocked

«I worked very hard to achieve this honor earlier than most. » explained Izo

«Well, I’m highly impressed. But now I’m hungry, can we work on that? »

Izo nodded, smiling softly

«Of course »

 

It didn’t take long until the table was filled with options as they picked and chose what they wanted. Cora gulped slightly; he could only imagine the bill at the end of all of this as Izo played the shamisen besides Sengoku

«So, Doflamingo contacted you, huh?»

Cora noticed that Izo froze for a split second, almost missing a note, but instantly relaxed and kept playing

«Can we discuss that at home? It’s hard to explain without the actually message and what Law and Bepo found out afterwards.»

_Sucker!_

«Hmph, fine. Now you mentioned in our last email that there was something you wanted to ask me?»

Cora stuck a piece of eel sushi in his mouth and sighed, guess it’s now or never and he didn’t care if Izo overheard this one since he’d be surprised if the Whitebeards weren’t already all over this

«I was picking up Law and Bepo the other day at school and I noticed something particular. The secretary? Pretty sure I know her, I’m sure she’s a member of CP9.»

Cora watched Sengoku carefully as he took a sip of his saké, not looking up at Cora

«Is that so.»

«Also, I noticed that freaking _Sakazuki Akainu is the goddamn principal of Grand Line High_. You cannot for a minute convince me that that ladder climbing son of a bitch would drop out of the World Government marines to become a _freaking high school principal_!»

Sengoku paused, looking up at Cora and frowned sharply

«What are you asking me, son?»

«I’m asking _did you place them here_? »

Izo paused slightly, surprised at the question

Cora knew what he was doing though. If Izo had this information, Whitebeard would too. Cora didn’t trust Akainu for a goddamn second and if shit was going down, he needed to know.

«I’m afraid you’re not privy to that information, Rosinante. »

« _Excuse me?!_ » hissed Cora, shocked

«I moved you here, Rosinante, to keep you out of danger. And I know that if I tell you, you’re going to get involved and I refuse to see you get hurt over this.»

«I understand that! But to place agents in my city and not tell me?!»

Cora was beyond insulted now; he couldn’t even put it into words

«Because I know that if I had, you would have stuck your nose into it! I know what I’m doing Rosinante and part of my job knowing who I should and shouldn’t keep informed about certain things!»

« _Are you saying you don’t trust me?!_ »

«After that stunt you pulled, can you blame me?! You were almost killed because you decided to go against my direct orders!»

« _Yes, to save Law’s life_ , which I did!»

«You also blew your mission doing it!»

«To save Law! So now you can’t trust me and you’re placing agents around the city without telling me?! That’s great!»

“BAAAAHH”

They both turned to look at Daisy surprised as Sengoku growled, and quickly stood up, fist clenched, looking furious

«I never said I placed agents. That is your assumption and yours alone. I’m going to make a call, I’ll be right back.»

And then Sengoku left the room

 

Cora snarled, snapping his chopsticks in half and then he gasped, looking at them in his hands

“Shit! Sorry! I’ll replace them, I-“

Of course he would break the expensive looking chopsticks, shit he’s a mess right now

“Don’t worry about it.” replied Izo, taking them from Cora and holding them to his lap “So, not complaining, but what happen to the whole ‘no secret talk’ thing?”

“Because I wanted you to be aware of it.”

“Eh?”

Cora groaned, running a hand through his hair

“Sakazuki…the fact that they placed him raises a lot of red flags. And the fact that I’m not involved in it also tells me something important – that it involves minors. I’ll arrest kids, I’ll beat up kids if I have to, but I will never execute one. Kuzan is rather lenient towards children as well and I don’t think Borsalino would either. But Sakazuki would, and the fact that he’s placed in a high school of all places… _Shit_. I think their target is someone at your school, so I want you and the others to be on guard. I don’t want some innocent kid murdered for god knows what reason”

Izo paused for a moment, Cora saw his eyes widen in fear

“ _So he is after one of us_! Pops suspected as much…but…shit. There’s so many of us it could be too…” trailed off Izo, looking down as he held his hand over his mouth – Cora couldn’t help but think it looked kinda cute with his sleeve over his hand

Cora sighed, rubbing his face with his hands “I just…the kids here, you’re all good kids in general, so the only thing I can think of is –“

Cora paused, jaw slack

_Roger’s kid_

_It would be nearly 18 years now_!

“Is what?” asked Izo quietly

“Roger’s kid.” replied Cora, quietly

“I thought that was just a rumour! They never found a pregnant woman or a child!” pointed out Izo

“The World Government doesn’t think it’s a rumour at all, they had one woman they suspected but then she disappeared, said to have died in childbirth but they never found the baby.”

“You think the kid’s in Goa?”

“If they are, they better stay on their guard since the minute the kid turns 18, the Government can’t pursue them anymore, it would explain why so many high ranking agents are in town.”

Izo curtly nodded “I’ll let Pops know, in case he knows who the kid is!”

“Thank you” replied Cora, smiling softly “And to think we started the evening threatening each other”

Izo chuckled softly “I’m very glad you’re a good man”

Cora scratched his head “I just find it really dumb to attack kids for their bloodline, you know?”

“ _Well, you would know, wouldn’t you_?” noted Izo as he stood up “I’ll go get you more chopsticks, _Cora-san_ ”

Cora blinked, blushing brightly. It always caught him off guard to be called Cora by anyone else but Law and Bepo since it was so…affectionate

 

Sengoku returned a moment after and sat back down at the table

“Where did Izo go?”

“Ah, went to get more refreshments.”

“Hm. I made a reservation at the Goa Grand Hotel. You can bring me there afterwards.”

What?!

“ _Otosan!_ You’re not serious.”

“I’m furious right now, Rosinante. I’ve never had you raise your voice to me like that!”

“So you don’t want to see me?”

“I need some time to think.” stated Sengoku, taking a sip of sake

“Fine. But I’m picking you up bright and early in the morning so that Law doesn’t know you ditched us for the night.” replied Cora, trying to keep his voice stable

“ _What does that have to do with anything_?” asked Sengoku, clearly irritated

“He already thinks ill of you because you haven’t visited in this past year.” admitted Cora, accepting the chopsticks that Izo gave him as he walked back in, but before he had a chance to sit down, Sengoku signaled to him

“I want the bill please.”

Izo nodded, leaving the room once more

“I needed time. You clearly disobeyed me and it almost led to you dying. The last thing I wanted to see was the boy I spent nearly 20 years raising in a hospital bed with machines beeping and being told that his body might reject his new heart, riddled in bullet holes when all of this could have been avoided had he just listened!”

“ _But Law would have died_!” replied Cora sternly “He was dying in my arms! I didn’t have the time or the luxury to wait for another day or two for you guys to _maybe_ get the cure! I _needed_ to save him!”

“ _He wasn’t your responsibility, Rosinante_!” said Sengoku, banging his fist on the table

_“And I wasn’t yours!_ And you still took me in and made me your responsibility! As I did with Law!” snapped back Cora

Sengoku blinked, sitting back, surprised, then he chuckled, rubbing his temple

“I guess we’re much more alike than I thought. Fine, come get me early tomorrow morning, I still have things to do and I feel we’d both if we spent the night calming down.”

Izo soon returned and Sengoku stood up, taking the receipt as Daisy got up from her spot and trotted up to her master

“I’ll pay for that. Rosinante, let’s go.” Then Sengoku stopped, turning towards Izo “You were absolutely lovely, I will recommend this place to everyone and anyone I can.”

Izo smiled, bowing “Thank you very much, sir.”

Cora got up, about to leave the room when Izo caught his wrist, carefully slipping something in his hand

“In case you ever need it.” whispered Izo before turning around and going to clean up the room

 

Once outside, Cora pulled out the piece of paper and was surprised to see a phone number with the name _Marco’s main #_ scribbled on top

_Well I’ll be damned_

 

Cora drove Sengoku and Daisy to the hotel and Sengoku in his turn promised to be ready and at the door at 7am so that Cora could pick him up.

He sighed, looking at his watch, it was much too soon to go pick up Bepo, but he didn’t want to be home alone right now. It was moments like these that Cora really wished he had friends outside of work. Not knowing where else to go, he drove to the police station. Cora figured he could get some work done if he was just waiting anyways.

Cora carefully opened the door and walked into the station, instantly all eyes were on him

“How come you’re here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Sengoku?” asked Bellemere as she stood up, concern all over her face

“I…Yeah, that’s yeah, Tashigi if you want, you can take a huge break, I’ll keep working until 9 or so.” replied Cora, dejected

“What happened?” asked Tashigi quietly

“I got into a huge fight with him and he’s spending the night at the hotel.” replied Cora, a little embarrassed right now

“Was it worth it?” asked Bellemere in a soft voice

Cora blinked, confused

“What do you mean?”

“Whenever I get into a fight with Nami or Nojiko, afterwards when we’ve both cooled down, I ask them ‘was this worth it’. In the sense of, was getting this angry worth the fight. If it wasn’t, we apologize and it’s over but it they say it was worth it, this means to me that this is something very important to them and I need to listen more and we need to calmly discuss it.”

Cora paused, mulling it over

Was it worth it? Of course it was!

“Of course, it was about Law, I-“

“No need to defend yourself, Rosi. If you feel it was worth it, keep that in mind and remind yourself that it was when you see him next. If he’s not willing to understand that it’s important to you, that’s not your fault”

Cora smiled brightly, his friends were the best!

“Thank you, Bellemere! I feel much better now”

Bellemere chuckled

“Anytime, Rosi”

 

Cora wasn’t sure how he wound up giving a ride to _freaking Garp_ of all people – or that he wound up driving to the freaking Corvo district. But it was for Law and Luffy had been super cute with his nickname for him – _why are the teenagers in this town so cute?!_

But Garp was rambling on and on about god know’s what, so Cora did the one thing he got really good at when he was undercover

Pretending he was a mute

If he learned anything is that when hotheads are just blowing air like this – they don’t actually want an answer or an input, they just want to talk. So Cora learned that by nodding and grunting, _he didn’t actually have to engage_

_Thank god_

A part of him felt kinda bad, Garp wasn’t a bad person per say, but he was a truly irritating one but he could clearly see that Law was getting beyond irritated and was about to say something. This must be so awkward for Law. The boy just wanted a night with his crush and he had been so excited about it and now this awkward scene. At the red light, he stuck his hand in his pocket and Cora typed up a fast text. Another skill he had learned while undercover because if he couldn’t physically talk, he had to be able to communicate somehow and writing things out on your phone was easily the best way! Thank god he got the idea from that one anime years ago!

 

“ _He said Dragon saved him_ ”

Cora hit the brakes instantly, shocked at what he just heard.

“Like, Dragon, head of the Revolutionary Army Dragon?!” asked Cora, absolutely shocked

“That’s right; I forgot he settled around here, did you get to meet your father, Luffy?”

_WHAT?!_ Wait, Bellemeres had mentioned this – the Marine who defected was Dragon!? Holy fucking shit! _Was Luffy who the World Government was after_? Not Roger’s son as Cora first though?!

 “Wait, what?! _Luffy’s father is Dragon_?!” squawked out Cora, shocked

“Your dad is a mega badass, Luffy?!” asked Bepo, also shocked

_Bepo no!_

“Naw, I didn’t meet him.” replied Luffy, but then he frowned “I’m hungry.”

Cora blinked, Luffy was clearly trying to change the subject, and he might as well help the poor kid out

“A-Ah. Then we might as well get you home, yes.” said Cora as he restarted driving towards their home

 

Soon enough they got to the path leading to Luffy’s house. Cora frowned slightly, a little frustrated that he couldn’t see the house from here. His protective instincts were telling him to see the house before he let his kid go, but damnit. He couldn’t justify it without embarrassing Law. Garp quickly got out of the car with his bags of groceries, Bepo moving to let Luffy out as well and sat back into the car. Law had stepped out but he soon blushed furiously as he dove back into the car to give Bepo a hug.  Cora chuckled softly before Law forced his way between the two seats and hugged him the best he could as well

Oh of course! Why didn’t he think of this?

“Must be nervous, first time away from home since we moved here.” stated Cora, smiling

“Nngh, just a little, it’s fine, I’m fine.” stated Law, burying his face in Cora’s chest . Cora frowned slightly, looks like Law was having a slight panic attack

 “You’ll do just great, I believe in you Law. I love you and I’ll come pick you up in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’re going to have loads of fun. Luffy’s a good kid and you can tell he really cares about you.”

And he clearly did, it was so hard to miss how physically affectionate Luffy had been with Law

“But-“

“You won’t fuck up. And even if you do, I have faith in you that you’ll be able to fix it anyways.”

“How are-“

“Because I’ve seen you at your absolute worst and I still couldn’t hate you. Not even a little bit.”

“But you’re _you_.”

Law really needed to stop making Cora this separate entity – separate from the rest of the human race! Then Cora looked out the window and smiled

“And I think Luffy and I are more alike than you think. Look! He’s waiting for you.”

Law turned his head slightly and saw that Luffy was still standing there, at the start of the path, drawing in the dirt with his finger. Cora could see the look of surprise on Law’s face

_Please see your worth, Law_

“Shit! I didn’t think he was waiting!” said Law as he scrambled out of the hug and grabbed his bag, trying to get out of the car quickly

“Relax, Law! It’s okay! We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Bye Law! Have a fun night and text me the deets!” replied Bepo, smiling

Law nodded, smiling slightly, the anxiety still kinda there and exited the car.

Cora and Bepo waved back as they drove away. Cora’s heart ached slightly. He hadn’t really been apart from Law like this overnight in ages but he knows that Law will be fine and that’s all that mattered

 

“Sooo Bepo” started Cora as he kept driving out of Grayline Terminal

“Yeah?”

“How was the dance?”

“Oh! It was super fun until Garp showed up and started to threaten people and things but Koala like, kicked his ass! She’s so cool! After that, the dance kinda dissipated.  Also someone spiked the punch bowl.” explained Bepo

“What?! Did you have any?” asked Cora, he wasn’t mad, just annoyed that someone had spiked the punch

“No way! I didn’t want my breath to smell like alcohol when I meet your dad!”

Cora winced slightly at the mention

“Uh, I gotta tell you something about that but you can’t tell Law!”

Bepo frowned sharply

“I don’t like keeping things from Law.”

“It’s not bad! I swear!  I just got into a big fight with Sengoku and now he’s staying at a hotel tonight and I’ll pick him up early in the morning but I don’t want Law to know!”

Bepo frowned again

“What did you guys fight about?”

Cora bit the inside of his cheek, a part of him wanted to disregard it but they had agreed to be honest

“He’s…still mad I went against my orders.”

“But you saved Law’s life!”

“That’s what I said! But apparently it was a ‘breach of trust’”

“That’s total bullshit, Cora! You did the right thing! And if he doesn’t forgive you other this, he’s a butt!”

Yeah, Bepo was right

“Yeah, yeah he is”

_It had been worth it_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops, trouble in paradise, but alas, what can we do! 
> 
> Also I enjoy writing Izo and Cora together more than I ever thought I would? Go figure!
> 
> Next week we're back to Ace and his tipsy ass! Also, I promised myself at 100k+ posted fic that I'd update my profile, so ah, that's there now! Please be kind with me!!


	31. – ACE- If You Don’t Want To Be Associated With Comic Book Characters Don’t Be Yourselves!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this seriously chapter 31? Holy crap, I'm kinda surprised at myself! 
> 
> Anywho! Enjoy tipsy!Ace!

 

 

 

“ _Why the fuck is it so complicated getting to this house_?!”

Ace knew that it really wasn’t – but his motor memory made him walk towards the Whitebeard mansion and not to the house across the park

God, he gets to play in the park with Justice tomorrow

_Man is he lucky!_

Ace finally got to the house and was about to ring the doorbell but then he paused

_What time was it anyways?_

_What if he disturbed the tenants inside?_

What if he disturbed _Justice_? That wouldn’t be very nice.

He wouldn’t mind disturbing Hina though. Is she even staying here or is she staying at Tashigi’s?

_Urgh, too much thinking_

 

“Why the hell are you just standing on my porch?”

Ace blinked, looking at Smoker that was standing there, _shirtless_ , wearing nothing but sweat pants, holding the door open, and looking not even a slightest bit impressed with him

God, look at that – _is that the beginning of his happy trail?!_

_ACE! CONCENTRATE!_

“So, I had this idea, actually, this idea is Sober Sabo’s idea. Not mine, I had no ideas”

Smoker frowned more, staring at Ace with scrutiny

“ _Are you drunk_?”

“No! I’m tipsy and it isn’t my fault!” replied Ace, insulted – it really wasn’t his fault! He just wanted juice! Juice!

“…it’s not your fault?”

“No! Someone spiked the punch and I didn’t realize it until I had downed a whole glass in one second! I was thirsty! I had been dancing!”

Ace is pretty sure he didn’t need to mime all the actions he mentioned, but apparently he still did it

“ _A glass got you drunk_?”

“ _Hell no_! I had to down another one when my brother tried to drink some! He’s 15! No drinking for him! He’s a growing boy!”

Smoker snorted, letting Ace into the house

“I said tomorrow morning”

“I know! But I was super afraid of coming late because I’d be sleeping this off but Sabo then suggested that I just come tonight so that I’m already h-Justice!”

Ace squealed when Justice trotted up to him. Ace instantly started to pet her, thrilled out of his mind

“Are you excited! You and me all weekend!”

Smoker smiled fondly, rolling his eyes as he took Ace’s bag from him, setting it on the table

“Guess I should give you a tour or should I just do it in the morning?”

“Morning please! Not sure how much I’ll retain!”

Ace looked around. It was a really nice house, actually. Didn’t really looked lived-in, but considering that the Captain was always at work so it made sense that his house didn’t look too lived in

Ace would change that, yes he would!

“I filled up the fridge and the two freezers full of food. So you should be fine. Do you plan on staying here all weekend?”

Ace nodded

“Yeah, I have projects that I need to work on and you live pretty close to the main branch of the library. Is that okay?”

Smoker nodded and then pointing down a flight of stairs

“I have a big library downstairs; feel free to use anything in there. Also I left you an envelope on the table with emergency numbers and the wifi password.”

“Bless you”

 

At that moment, Hina emerged from upstairs, wearing nothing but a towel, as she came down the stairs, patting her hair along the way with another towel

“What is _he_ doing here?”

Smoker grunted

“He didn’t want to be late”

“Hmph! This gorgeous view and it’s wasted on the both of you!” stated Hina, gesturing to herself

Ace frowned

“Do you want me to take a picture and send it to someone who’ll appreciate it?” he asked, pulling out his cellphone

Ace knew tons of guys who would love to see this! And Hina looked upset that neither of them were enjoying the view

Smoker quickly closed the phone, putting his hand over it

“Not a good idea, brat. She is high ranking military personnel.”

“Oh okay! She just looked upset so I wanted to help”

Hina frowned, eyes narrowing and then pointed to Ace

“ _Is he drunk?”_

“Nuh uh! I’m tipsy!” replied Ace frowning, _god, people sometimes_

“What’s the difference between tipsy and drunk for you?” asked Hina, crossing her arms at her chest

“Tipsy Ace doesn’t shut up and Drunk Ace is really quiet and wants to make out.” explained Ace, nodding along

“Do you want to make out now?” asked Hina, smirking

“Well, Chase is right beside me so duh, but I think that doesn’t really count as the usual feeling, you know?”

Smoker coughed, blushing slightly

“Alright brat, I think it’s time for you to get some sleep.” stated Smoker, looking to the side

Oh?

Was he upset?!

“ _Do you want to makeout_?”

Smoker snorted

“Naw, naked Hina ruined the mood”

“Fuck you, Smoker!” replied Hina from the kitchen – when did she get over there?!

Waitaminute! Oh my god!!

“HINA COME BACK!” cried Ace, waving his arms

A disgruntled Hina returned in the living room, holding a beer bottle

“ _What?”_

“I just realized who you remind me of!”

“Oh god” groaned Smoker, pre-emptively rubbing his brow

“ _What_.” asked an irritated Hina, awaiting the worst  


“Veronica Lodge!! And Tashigi is Betty Cooper! But there’s no Archie!”

“…Ace what the fuck” stated Smoker, staring at Ace

“No no nono think about it! She’s a rich snooty bitch and Tashigi’s an innocent, naïve, driven, hard working girl! But they’re hot on each other! Like it should be! Oh my god _, I should write for Archie comics!”_

“…I’ll be leaving now.” stated Hina as she made her way to the stairs

“He’s not wrong about you being a rich snooty bitch” stated Smoker, smirking

“ _Fuck you, Smoker_!” yelled Hina as she went up the stairs

 

Oooh there was Justice again! Ace grinned brightly as he crouched down to pet Justice who was all over him. She was so friendly!

“Is Tashigi here too?” asked Ace, looking up at Smoker, and then smirked _– wow, what a great view_!

“No, she’s covering Trafalgar’s shift tonight so that he could see his father.” explained Smoker as he crouched down to pet Justice as well. Justice though was revelling in the attention from both of them

“Is Mister Trafalgar’s dad as tall as he is or is he a tiny man?!” asked Ace, very concerned

He knew Mister Trafalgar was very tall and that Doflamingo was very tall – _but where they all tall?!_

“Oh, it’s Sengoku…A military guy. Trafalgar was adopted.”

“…Sengoku as in, head of the Marines ‘Sengoku’?” asked Ace looking at Smoker, who frowned sharply

“ _How do you know that_?”

“Gramps friends with him, so I met him a few times. I kicked his ankle once because he tried to put me in a marine t-shirt when I was 6. But now that I think of it, I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. I think Gramps is trying to keep us apart.”

“Ah. Right, I forgot that Garp is your grandfather.”

_Yo what?!_

“ _Who told you that_?!” asked Ace, panicked

“Bellemere.”

“Oh, oh okay then. Yeah, he’s my gramps.”

Smoker raised a brow

“Why did you panic?”

“Well, because you’re an ex-marine, so I figured you knew him or heard of him and uh, well, _he’s Garp_. So I didn’t want you to think badly of me because of my association with him.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that, that’s a legitimate fear” teased Smoker; Ace chuckled as he kept petting Justice

“Heeey! That’s not nice!”

 “You should really get some sleep, Ace.” reminded Smoker

“I feel fine!” replied Ace more whiningly that he had intended

“ _Justice needs some sleep_ , and she won’t until you settle.” pointed out Smoker

Ace frowned; _he didn’t want to keep Justice up!_

“Okay, I’ll go sleep now. But I gotta change out of this dumb suit” replied Ace, frowning

“You look very nice in that suit, Ace.” admitted Smoker, giving him the one over “You know, before it was covered in dog hair”

“The dog hair adds character, my good man!”

“What kind of character?”

“ _One that plays with dogs_ ”

Smoker frowned sharply before he laughed

“That made no sense, c’mon, let’s get you out of that” he said as he stood up, gesturing to Ace to get up as well. Ace instantly put his hand the pants pocket and took out his phone, throwing it in his bag

“Are you trying to undress me, sir? That’s very bold of you!”

“I’ll lend you a suit bag so that you can transport that back to Marco, I’m assuming he’s going to have it dry cleaned.” replied Smoker, completely ignoring Ace’s question as he helped Ace out of the blazer and started to riffle through the pockets

“Heeeey, why you snooping?”

“To make sure your tipsy ass didn’t forget anything in the pockets”

“I didn’t put anything in them!” replied Ace, pouting as Smoker kept riffling through the inner pocket and pulled out a piece of paper

“Is that so? Then what’s this?”

Ace blinked – he didn’t put anything in his pockets! He was sure of it! Oh shit! Maybe Sabo slipped him something! Ace quickly took the note from Smoker and opened it up and frowned

“This sir, seems to be a credit card receipt and I don’t own one of those fancy things because I don’t have credit” pointed out Ace, grinning – he was correct! He didn’t put anything in his pocket!

Smoker looked at the receipt for a moment and then his eyes shot open

 

“…can I keep this receipt?”

Ace frowned, _what?_

“Why?”

“Do you…Did you not notice who signed this?”

Ace frowned again, looking over the receipt

“This is a receipt for …booze. Looks like they bought fancy named rum.”

“No, Ace, _the signature_!” said Smoker, Ace lifted a brow, he seemed awfully excited about it

“This says…”

_Oh fuck no!_

_FUCK NO!_

_MARCO IS FUCKING DEAD!_

“ _ROGER D.GOL_?! SERIOUSLY!? I’M WEARING HIS FUCKING SUIT?! BLEAH!”

Smoker snatched the receipt out of Ace’s hand as Ace quickly stripped down to his orange boxers with a blue Paisley design on them, throwing everything on the floor and kicked it

“ _Curses! I’m fucking cursed_!”

“So…I can keep this?”

Ace blinked, looking at Smoker confused, and then he narrowed his eyes

“Why do you want it so bad?”

“ _No reason_.”

Wait – _what if?_

“Lies! Are you… _a fan_? _A Roger fanboy_?”

Smoker paused, looking a little guilty as he blushed, looking to the side

“I _am_ from Loguetown _.”_

“Oh my god!”

“Don’t judge me! He’s like a…hometown notorious celebrity or something!”

“ _Oh my god, you fanboy over Roger_! Where were you when he was executed?! You fanboys always seem to remember exactly where you were!”

“…watching it in the town square as it was televised live.”

“ _Oh my god!!”_

_“_ Stop that! Go to bed!” growled Smoker, completely embarrassed as he pointed to the couch

“But you’re a cop!”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t be intrigued by the man! Exactly, because I’m a cop! I should know of all the great criminals!”

“Wow, weak defense there, Chase!” teased Ace, grinning – he didn’t know why this was amusing him so much! Usually this kind of news would seriously piss him off, but right now, he found it kinda endearing

 

“What are we embarrassing Chase about?” asked Hina as she walked back in, now in a tank top and her underwear – Ace was surprised she was wearing boy shorts, he always expected her to wear those weird lacy things

“ _He’s a Roger D Gol  fanboy_!” stated Ace as he pointed to Smoker who was completely embarrassed at this point

“Hahaha, you told him, Chase?! You loser, that’s not something you tell someone unless you’re married to them already and they can’t escape!” replied Hina, laughing

“I didn’t tell him! He had a signed receipt by Roger in his pocket!” explained Smoker, pointing to Ace.

Hina blinked slowly, turning towards Ace

“ _Why did you have that?”_

“Uh _, I didn’t_ , the suit did, duh.”

“ _Where did you get Roger’s suit?_ ” asked Hina again, then he felt her eyes on him “Also why are you in boxers in the middle of the room?”

“I could ask you the same, underwear girl!” replied Ace, not wanting to answer the question about the suit

“ _Answer the question about the suit_.” stated Hina, frowning sharply – figured that didn’t work with a military whatever the hell she is

“I don’t know. We just have lots of suits at the house and this one fit me.” admitted Ace, wanting to drop the topic, he just gets so riled up whenever Roger is mentioned and he didn’t need Chase to see that but his tongue felt loose and now he felt like there was a chance that Chase wouldn’t care

_Oh my god, maybe Chase wouldn’t care_!

“So you had no idea?” stressed Hina, her face calm and hard to read

“No. I didn’t! Not until Chase pulled that out of my pocket now he can keep it!”

“Good. You weren’t getting it back anyways” mumbled Smoker, still red as he carefully placed the receipt in a small box on his bookcase

“You can keep the suit too! I don’t want it!” whined Ace, frowning as he crossed his arm

“Shouldn’t all you gang kids worship Roger or something?” asked Hina, lifting a brow

“ _No.”_ replied Ace curtly, not happy with the topic on hand

“Okay. Enough of this, Hina, hit the sack; I’ll go sleep myself after I put this one to bed.”

“Not inviting him to your bed? He’s probably willing to do anything by now, why, apparently when he’s drunk, he’s more affectionate” teased Hina, smirking

“No thanks. I have this thing where I enjoy both parties being sober when I have sex, wild I know.”

_Sex?! What?!_

“That’s not what I meant, Chase, _and you know it_ ”

“We’re having sex?!” replied Ace, surprised, he wasn’t expecting this!  Shit! _He’s never had sex_! What if he fucks up?! Was he ready for sex?! This was too fast! Shit! Is this how adults did it?! Maybe experienced ones!? Fuck! FUCK!

“No, no we’re not” replied Smoker as he led Ace to the couch and sat him down, Justice quickly plopped down on the couch besides Ace

“Oh hullo! Are we sharing a bed tonight? Won’t that make Chase mad? Are you cheating on him with me?!” Ace asked Justice as he scratched her behind the ear

“She probably likes how warm you are.” answered Smoker, giving Ace a blanket and a few pillows that Ace didn’t see where he got from

“What?! Someone else who just uses me for my body heat! Oh well, your cute, I’ll accept it” said Ace, nodding

“Go to sleep, Ace.”

“Wait! I have…I have a question. Don’t think too much about it, okay?”

_Guess there was no harm in asking?_

“Bathroom is literally around the corner there.”

Good to know, but -!

“No, no, not that! It’s, I have a question for you, and I know it’s weird, but please listen?”

Chase frowned, sitting down on the end of the couch, scratching Justice behind the other ear

“Go ahead.”

“Let’s say, hypothetically, if Roger had a child.”

“You know the World Government thinks he did have a child, right?”

“Yeah, my Gramps told me” said Ace as he pulled the blanket over himself “But, if he _did_ have a child…What would you think of that?”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“I’d pity the child.”

“Pity?” asked Ace, surprised – he’s heard many things, but _pity_ was never one of them

“Yeah, having people talk shit about your dad your entire life, never having a chance to meet him, people wanting you to be hurt or dead because of some shitty probably false story they heard about their dad. I’d feel pity since this kid would feel so much hate, for no real reason.  Fundamentally, the sins of the father are not the sins of the child”

Ace nodded, smiling slightly to himself

“You’re a good man, Chase.”

Smoker sighed, ruffling Ace’s hair

“I try my best. Goodnight, Ace.”

“Goodnight.”

Ace watched as Smoker turned off the lights and headed upstairs, he waited a few moments until he was sure Smoker was good and settled in his room and in the absolute darkness of the room, he pulled Justice into a hug, and broke down, crying into the warm fur, as quietly as he could.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering where I got the fanboy thing, it's because Smoker is a fanboy, not in extreme though, but he does have a lot of respect for Roger, even in the canon! He goes to a bar called Gold Rogers, he purposely went to his execution and also he just had a really high regards for him (which is probably why he's so rough on pirates he thinks are 'cowards' compared to Roger) - so I wanted to integrate this here because I think it's super interesting - but he's also VERY embarrassed about it here!
> 
> Next chapter is Law and Luffy's night!


	32. –LAW- This Scene Needs An 80’s Ballad (But Nobody Can Have A Boom Box)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little early this week! It's cold and I just want to curl up and read so I figured you guys might want to as well! Enjoy this chapter!

 

 

“Why do you have so many people living at your house?” hissed Law, digging through his bag as he picked up clothes to get changed into

“Huh? I don’t know! It’s always been like this! I was the last one to join here” explained Luffy as he started to strip off the suit and clumsily, but carefully trying to fold every piece

“Here, I can do that.” said Law as he turned, grabbing the pieces and started to properly fold the suit for Luffy

“Thanks! Sanji lent that to me and I don’t want him to get it back all wrinkled!”

“He has to dry clean it anyways, Luffy, I don’t think it matters much.”

Luffy frowned slightly

“Really?! Because Nami told me that she’d fold it for me for 10$ a piece!”

Law stared blankly at Luffy – _was Nami a con artist?_

“It really doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, okay.” Then Luffy looked toward’s Law’s bag and made a surprised noise “You brought wine? You don’t seem like the type! I thought you’d drink more like whiskey or rum like Zoro does!”

Law frowned sharply, turning around – he hadn’t brought wi-! _There was a bottle of wine in his bag?_!

“Oh what the he-!” Law went to his bag and pulled out the bottle of wine, it looked like it had been tucked into his things so that it wouldn’t make any noise – and a box of fancy chocolates?! Who would-

_Cora!_

“Urgh, my dad packed this for your family?” offered Law, holding both items, _are you serious, Cora?!_

“Okay! Let’s get changed and hand them over! Dadan’s going to love you for it!”

“You sure? She seemed kinda super uncomfortable with me”

 

It had been – _an experience_

When he and Luffy first got to the house, they had already been in mass panic because of Garp’s presence, _apparently nobody had expected him_?

So the household was already in full blown panic, tripping over themselves to accommodate Garp that when Dadan had spotted Law and asked who he was and Law told introduced himself – she had panicked again

Apparently being an ex-member of the Donquixote gang was a thing that was known to her so she lost her shit before running off somewhere, saying they needed to prepare

It was… _unsettling_

 

“Aww don’t worry about Dadan! She freaks out over anything!” reassured Luffy as he quickly got changed into a simple t-shirt and ripped pair of jean shorts

Luffy then walked back and plopped down on the bed, looking at the ceiling

“Are you going to get changed?”

Law blinked, gathering up the rest of his clothes

“Uh, yeah, is there a bathroom nearby?”

“It’s back downstairs, but you can get changed here, it’s okay!”

Law frowned sharply at that idea

He didn’t mind at home, but here…here was _different_. Luckily most of the pigmentation in his skin returned after he recovered from his disease but not all of it, so there was marks all over his body, faint marks, you probably had to get really close to see it, but it still made him really self-conscious. One day, he wanted to cover his body with large tattoos to distract from the uneven skin tone

“Ah…I’d rather go to the-”

“I’ll step out!” offered Luffy as he hopped off the bed and opened the window, quickly climbing out

Law blinked, surprised as he ran up to the window, trying to see where Luffy was, only to see his feet above his head

“I’ll meet you up there?” offered Law, relieved that Luffy was looking up at the stars and then back down at Law, smiling – at least he didn’t seem mad

“Sure!”

 

Law quickly got changed into his favourite yellow hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants and quickly joined Luffy on the roof. Luffy smiled brightly as Law joined him, sitting down beside him.  Even if Luffy lived in a real shithole, the view of stars was gorgeous out here

Luffy then suddenly stood up, walking towards the back of the house on the roof, and then he made a loud happy noise

“Fire!”

Law stood up, panicking as he went to join Luffy, it did smell like a fire!

Wait

Was that a bonfire?!

“Ooooh!! We’re having a party! Ace is going to be so mad he missed this!”

Law’s stomach sunk, he wasn’t particularly in the mood to socialize right now

Luffy grinned brightly

“Let’s go steal some food and then go back and hide out! We’ll be left alone since they’re gonna party until daybreak!”

Law blinked, that sounded great!

“And you could bring Dadan your things! She’ll be in a great mood now!”

Law sighed in relief that sounded much better

 

Law and Luffy went back inside to grab the wine and chocolates and made their way to the backyard where the party was already going into full swing

The music was loud, people were dancing, singing but mostly they were eating. It seemed that everyone was sitting around the bonfire. Low tables had been set up and alcohol was freely being consumed among all of that.

Luffy pulled slightly on Law’s arm, tugging him towards Dadan and Garp who were sitting in the middle of tables

“Hey guys!”

“Luffy! I was wondering when they hell you’re going to show up! See you brought the moody kid!” pointed out Garp, taking a huge gulp of his drink

“ _My name is Law_.” hissed Law, beyond done with Garp’s antics as he held out the bottle of wine and the box of chocolates for Dadan

“This is for you, thank you for having me in your home.”

Dadan blinked, looking at Law shocked, not quite sure how to handle the situation

“…What?”

“This is a gift for your hospitality” replied Law, trying to keep his face from erupting in a full blush – _this was so embarrassing_!! She probably thought he was an idiot! She’d probably laugh in his face, she’-

Is she tearing up!?

Dadan reached over and took the items looking at them in awe

“That is _so nice of you_!”

“I…Ah, it was my –“

“Sengoku’s kid probably set this up” interjected Garp “That kid’s always been polite as hell, which is weird considering Sengoku raised him” 

“Sengoku?!” asked Dadan, shocked “What the hell does that old bastard have to do with this sweet sweet boy?”

“Because Sengoku adopted a war orphan, who in turn, adopted this one” explained Garp, pointing to Law

“Oh! _What Sengoku is your grandfather_?!” screeched Dadan in panic

“No! He’s not.” stated Law, firm “I don’t share family with Cora. Cora is the only one I accept from that family.”

Not Sengoku and _especially_ not Doflamingo!

“Is that so?” asked Garp, surprised

“Stop hassling the nice boy, Garp! He doesn’t have to accept anyone he doesn’t want to as his family”

“Anyways, we’re gonna steal food now and go back to my room!” announced Luffy, quickly changing the topic

“What?! You don’t want to spend time with me?!” asked Garp, insulted

“Nope! My time is Torao’s tonight! You can have me tomorrow!” stated Luffy as he grabbed Law’s arm and pulled him towards the plates

 

Law sighed in relief, welcoming the distraction as Luffy handing him a plate. He wasn’t particularly that hungry, but seeing all that food was kinda insane. It would explain all the grocery bags that Garp was carrying

“How are you related to Dadan anyways?” asked Law as he and Luffy made their way back to the house

“I’m not! Gramps just dumped me here as a kid because he was mad that I had met Shanks.”

“Shanks? Wait, like _Red-Hair Shanks_?!” There was no way Luffy knew someone so incredibly high profiles as Red-Hair Shanks, leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the world!

“Yeah! That’s Shanks! He made base in Windmill district when I was a kid for like, two years! I used to hang out with him every day!” explained Luffy happily as he pulled down the ladder for them.

 Luffy gave Law his own plates of food and climbed up the latter, then brought his hands down to grab the plates to bring them up

“Didn’t you go to school?”

“Naw, I was homeschooled until I was 7. There wasn’t any elementary schools in the Windmill district at the time and also I didn’t have a legal guardians except Garp, but he wasn’t really around, so yeah. When I started living here, Ace would bring me to school, so that’s when I started going!”

Law frowned as he climbed up

“So who homeschooled you? Where did you even live if you didn’t have a legal guardian?!”

“Makino! And they had a room for me at the community center!” exclaimed Luffy happily as he put the plates in front of the tv that was set up in front of a dresser (so Law knew right away that it usually wasn’t there) and then he dug out snacks from a chest and brought them to the floor where he had put down the plates

“Is that where you usually store food?”

“Naw, Ace puts things there that he doesn’t want to get stolen.”

Law frowned sharply

“You get robbed often?”

“Huh? Yeah, this place is filled with crooks, but don’t worry, we lock the hatch at night so nobody can get in here.” explained Luffy happily as he put a bunch of pillows and blankets on the ground near the plates

Law could feel his stomach drop. What kind of shitty life has Luffy led?

“So, Shanks huh?” asked Law, wanting to change the subject – and boy did it, Luffy smiled brightly

“Yeah!  He’s so cool! This is actually his hat!” proudly announced Luffy, pointing to the straw hat on his head “He told me that he’ll come collect it when I make it out there with my own gang!”

Law blinked, settling down besides Luffy as Luffy started up the Wii U

“Your own gang? _Ace told me you weren’t in any gangs_?”

Luffy suddenly looked really guilty as he looked to the side

“Eeerr…”

“You’re kidding me! Which gang?”

“The Strawhat gang!”

Wait

_What?!_

“…I’m assuming you’re the leader?”

“Yep!” replied Luffy, handing Law the controller “Is Smash Brothers okay?”

“Yes. Are your friends all in this gang?”

“Yep! They’re my gang! I also want to recruit Franky, Robin and Brook! They’re all super cool and awesome fighters!” explained Luffy as he started to devour his food and somehow start the round at the same time?!

“Franky is a fighter? Miss Robin too?!”

“Yeah! Sabo told me!”

Law was kinda feeling a bit insulted at the idea that Luffy was playing ‘gang’

 

“So, what kind of ‘gang’ related activities have you and your friends done?”

“Umm, we took down Arlong’s gang, we beat up this weird guy who was trying to kill Usopp’s girlfriend for her money, we beat up a bunch of crooked cops who tried to hold Zoro hostage, well, I did, we beat up the guy who killed Chopper’s dad and oh! This one gang tried to take over Sanji’s restaurant and we beat them up too!”

Law stared at Luffy in shock _– he wasn’t playing gang at all_!

“Do you want to join my gang?” asked Luffy happily, with a big smile on his face

Law shook his head, chuckling softly as he started to eat his own food between playing

“No thanks, I promised Cora I wouldn’t join anymore gangs.”

“Aww that sucks, Zoro told me you were a really good fighter! But it’s okay! As long as you don’t join another gang, okay?”

“How come Ace doesn’t know about this?”

Luffy frowned for a moment, looking guilty and sighed

“Let me show you something okay?” Luffy paused the round and got up, going to Ace’s bed and he pulled back the sheets and sticking his hand inside the mattress?!

“…A hole I guess?”

“Yup!” and then Luffy pulled out a bankbook and opened it, handing it over to Law, who took it “I found this once while I was looking for hidden snacks, I asked Nami what it was, and she said it was a bank book!”

“ _Holy shit_ , there’s almost 100 grand in there!” Law was totally in shock – _why did Ace have so much money…and under Marco’s name?! Why the fuck does Ace have a joint account with Marco?!_

“Yeah, I asked Sabo about it, and after a while Sabo caved and told me, apparently Ace has been saving up that money for me, so when he’s gone, that I could still take care of myself and if I want to go to school or buy a car or anything, the money would be there for me.”

Law was stunned – that was so incredibly generous of Ace?! But what did that have to do-

“Ace doesn’t want me to do anything that could get me in legal trouble. So he said he would do it, so that I don’t have to. He works really hard so that I don’t. I’m really excited for the day that Ace won’t have to worry about me anymore! But I need to learn how to make it out in the world by myself, you know? I can’t wait for the day that someone takes care of Ace for a change!”

 

Law watched as Luffy put the bankbook back inside the mattress and covered it up

“So he didn’t want you joining a gang. And you did anyways?”

“Nope! He said ‘ _Luffy, don’t you ever dare join a gang!_ ’ but he didn’t say ‘ _Luffy, don’t you ever dare start a gang!_ ’” explained Luffy with a big grin on his face as he sat back down and took his controller

Law followed suite as Luffy unpaused and they continued their battle

“So nobody’s related to Dadan? How come she’s raising you guys?”

“Because Gramps said he’d arrest everyone here if they didn’t raise Ace.”

Okay! Nobody should be this good using _Pikachu_! _What the hell?! And Luffy picked random, that’s not fair!_

“So…they got threatened into raising you two?”

“Uh huh! That’s why Gramps always buys tons of food when he visits, kinda as a weird thanks, I guess.”

Law frowned slightly; this was a lot to digest. Basically from what he understood, Ace raised himself because by the sound of it, nobody actually wanted to raise him. Then Ace in turn raised Luffy and is now doing everything he can to make sure Luffy has a good life

Yeesh, _hope Luffy gets Ace a father’s day card_

 

“What happened to Ace’s dad by the way, I know he didn’t want to talk about it?”

No harm in asking? Right?

“Oh, his dad got executed!”

Law slammed down on the pause button as fast as he could

_WHAT?!_

“ _Executed_?! Was his dad a big time crook or something?!”

“Well yeah! He was Roger D. Gol!” then Luffy’s face went from a happy one to a despairing one in a split second, Law could see the regret all over his face

“You didn’t hear that! Pretend you didn’t hear that”

“ _How can I possibly pretend I didn’t hear that_?!”

“Please!! Ace will get so pissed if he found out I accidentally told someone!” begged Luffy

“Fine. I won’t say anything.” replied Law sighing

Of course he wanted to prod the ever living daylight out of Luffy _concerning this information_ (Head out of the gutter, Trafalgar!) but he could see that this was a huge source of anxiety for Luffy right now and he could only imagine how much it was for Ace, so he’ll drop it

“Thank you, Torao!” replied Luffy, smiling brightly as he hugged Law and quickly pecked his cheek – making Law turn dark red

“Why did you-?!” asked Law surprised, his hand touching where Luffy had kissed him on the cheek

“Because that’s what you do when people you like make you happy?”

“Who told you this?”

“Makino!”

This name keeps coming up a lot

“What else did _Makino_ say?”

“That I needed to be upfront and honest with you about how I feel!”

_Law was going to die right here_

Like an old cartoon, he could feel his heart ready to burst through his chest!

“O-Oh?”

“I really like you Torao, and every time I’m with you, I’m super happy! I’m so happy you came tonight! I was really afraid you’d say no, which is weird because I usually don’t feel like that! I’m really happy you came to our school and we got to be friends!”

Oh, _friends_ , right  - what the hell was he thinking?! He was an idiot!  Luffy was friendly with everyone! _Why would he think for a moment that he was special?!_

 

“Torao, can I kiss you?”

In that moment, Law’s heart completely stopped

“W-Wha?!”

“Sanji told me to always ask first, in case the person says no!”

“I-I-“

_Goddamnit Trafalgar! Answer him!_

“It’s okay if it’s no!”

“yES!”

Luffy blinked, surprised as Law wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole

Why did his voice have to crack _now_ of all times?!

Luffy chuckled as he took Law’s hand and slowly leaned in. Law could tell that Luffy was a bit nervous from the grip Luffy had on his hand. Law’s heart was pounding in his chest as he leaned in, meeting Luffy half way

And they kissed

It was short, just enough to feel each other’s lips. A small, chaste kiss

But Law felt like he was going to explode

Luffy smiled brightly, pulling down on the brim of his hat, trying to hide his flushed cheeks

“I liked that!”

Law smiled sheepishly, his own face probably on fire right now

“Same”

“Whoah! It’s already that late?!” said Luffy, turning around and looking at the clock on Ace’s side of the bed- Law isn’t surprised that only Ace had a clock

Huh – It was almost 2am, guess they talked longer than he thought

“Hey Torao?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” asked Luffy, smiling brightly, cheeks still flushed as Luffy looked a little embarrassed but determined to go through with this

“Sure” replied Law, realizing that was probably the _lamest answer ever_ – but he had to try to retain _some_ dignity!

Luffy smiled brightly, throwing himself at Law, hugging him tight

“Yay! I’m so happy! And I don’t have to keep it a secret!”

Huh?

“Who’s keeping their relationship a secret?”

“Ace with Smo-! ACK! You heard nothing!” exclaimed Luffy as he slapped himself in the face

_No_

_Freaking_

_Way_

“You are bad at this secret thing, aren’t you?” asked Law, chuckling softly

“Just a little! It just slips out! We should go to bed! Didn’t you say Mister Rosisi was picking you up early tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I have to meet his…dad I guess.”

“Don’t like the guy?”

“Naw, and he’s a stinking marine and I hate them”

Luffy laughed brightly

“Marines suck!”

 

Law and Luffy then took turns using the bathroom and quickly went back upstairs. Law pulled the comforter, or what the hell was left of it, off Ace’s bed, getting ready to sleep in it

“Oh! Torao! Ace said it would be better if you slept in my bed! Since it’s supposed to be really cold tonight and we don’t have heating!”

Law froze, shocked

Ace!?!

Why would you!?

_Was he actually going to share a bed with his cr-boyfriend?!_

Law swallowed loudly as he slid into the bed, nerves overwhelming him. Was he really doing this?! There was no way he was really doing this!

“Goodnight, Torao, I’m so happy tonight was so awesome!”

Law smiled softly, his face unable to stop itself

“Goodnight Luffy, thank you for everything.”

Law was in awe at how fast Luffy fell asleep and somehow curled up against him. Law also wasn’t sure how he would get any sleep tonight with his heart exploding in his chest as it was right now. He felt like such a nerd getting so worked up over a kiss

But it had meant so much to him for some reason

It wasn’t the first time someone had wanted to kiss him

When he was in elementary school – there was a stupid kissing game where the girls kept trying to kiss all the boys. Law started carrying around a dead frog to teach those girls a lesson

Baby 5 had asked to kiss him once – just so she would know what kissing a boy was like. But he had threatened to kill her if she tried

This though, this was different. _He had wanted the kiss and had gotten it_

He couldn’t wait to te-!

Shit! He forgot to text Bepo!

Law send a quick text to Bepo, simply writing ‘ _We’re officially a couple now and we kissed’_

He really wish he knew a way to make that look less embarrassing, but right now, his eyelids were getting heavy

Even if Bepo did reply, he’ll just tell him in the morning, right now, he just wanted to sleep

One thing’s for sure, he wouldn’t get nightmares tonight

But Law wasn’t sure if he could sleep with how hard his heart was fluttering

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow good job, Luffy, could you blow more secrets?!
> 
> And voila! Both official pairings are together now! We're going right back to Ace next week, a now more sober Ace!


	33. – ACE – When You Gotta Be The Voice of Reason (Friends Are Lucky I Care!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh beautiful Sunday morning and I'm at someone else's house too because Halloween party, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! Ace is up and things are gonna get solved!

 

 

 

“How come Ace is already here?”

“He didn’t want to be late, so he slept over”

“Oh that’s smart! How responsible of him!”

 

Ace groaned slightly, opening his eyes as he looked around the room, he was sure he just heard Tashigi’s voice?

_Where the hell was he_?

 Oh!

 Yeah! He came over last night!

“About time.” said Smoker, standing over Ace as he still laid on the couch, Justice still sleeping on top of him

“ _Good morning to you too, babe_.” replied Ace as he started to pet Justice, who happily wagged her tail at the attention

Smoker rolled his eyes as he took a glass of water off the coffee table in front of the couch and offered it to Ace who took it

“How are you feeling?”

“M’not hungover if that’s what you’re asking, just groggy from sleep.” answered Ace as he sat, up, shifting Justice slightly and took a sip of the water

Now, his mouth tasted disgusting, but that was his own fault

“You can use the bathroom to freshen up, I’ll give you a tour of the place after and your breakfast is in the microwave.”

Ace blinked slowly as he grabbed his bag besides the couch

“You made me breakfast?”

“I didn’t know how you liked your eggs though, so I just did scrambled.”

“I can’t believe you made me breakfast!”

Ace’s heart welled up with joy. It was so dumb, but goddamnit, he was so touched by the fact that Smoker had made him breakfast

“It’s just breakfast. I didn’t propose.”

“Well if you did now, I would say yes” teased Ace back, making Smoker roll his eyes

Ace chuckled, standing up as he looked around

“I thought I heard Tashigi’s voice?”

“You did, she’s upstairs with Hina”

“Oooohh”

“They’re packing Hina’s shit! Shut up and go freshen up!”

 

Ace cackled as he went to the bathroom. He took out his small personal grooming kit and took out his toothbrush and some toothpaste and started to brush his teeth

Okay.

Sabo suggested he comes here early, which is why he’s here, good. He got here, petted Justice a lot, okay

Wait, the suit? The suit, _oh fuck! Yeah!_

It all came back at once

Which included two things; one, apparently Smoker might not care if he was Roger’s son and two…a picture?

Ace took out his phone from the bag and flipped it open, looking through the pictures he took and his jaw dropped at the first one that came up

_Oh shit_

Oh wow actually, um, huh

_Yo damn_

Ace closed the pictures folder and quickly opened up the messenger and shot Sanji a quick text, they needed to talk about this for sure

Then he went back to brushing his teeth, finishing up quickly and washing his face real quick before slipping on the pair of sweat pants he brought along

 

When Ace left the bathroom, he saw the suitcases and duffle bags piled at the door

“Are you guys about to leave?”

“Not quite” said Smoker as Hina and Tashigi stepped out, making Ace frown, confused as he pointed at the pair leaving

“Hina wants to buy more smokes before we hit the road. So they’ll be gone for a good 20 minutes.”

“Is buying smokes code for something?” teased Ace

“Oh shut up.” replied Smoker, making Ace laugh “Now c’mon, I have to show you the house.”

“Lead the way!”

 

Ace completely underestimated this house. From the outside it looked like a simple bungalow but _holy crap_

It had two bedrooms, an upstairs and downstairs office, a workshop, a huge kitchen (apparently Smoker enjoyed cooking), a big ass yard (fenced off, of course), three bathrooms (this part blew Ace’s mind the most) and a fully finished basement that was made into what Ace is going to be calling the library.

Smoker had clear instructions for him; he wasn’t allowed to snoop (not that it really mattered considering Smoker had legit safes everywhere and Ace isn’t enough of a douche to break them) and to basically stay out of his bedroom. He was given all the important phone numbers and Smoker had apparently changed the sheets in the guest room so that Ace could sleep there

And yes, the fridge and freezer was fully stocked

 

“Any questions?” asked Smoker as they went back to the living room

Well, Ace wanted to ask if he was allowed to faceplant in Smoker’s bed and inhale _just once_ but maybe right now wasn’t the time

“If there’s an emergency-“

“Call me, I’ll always have my phone on me.” replied Smoker, instantly

Ace looked up at Smoker; he hadn’t realized that they were right in front of each other, Smoker’s arms slightly circling his waist as Ace’s did the same to him. Ace could feel his heart beating hard in his chest as he kept looking up. Smoker lowered his head as Ace’s raised his and the two shared a kiss for a moment before pulling apart. Ace couldn’t stop the smile on his face

“Thank you, again, for taking care of Justice. She really didn’t handle the original trip well and I didn’t want to stress her out.”

Ace smiled brightly “It’s my pleasure, truly. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the weekend.”

They both leaned into each other again, sharing another kiss. Ace sighed happily as they softly kept kissing. He raised his arms slightly, lightly cupping Smoker’s face, feeling the roughness of his stubble, enjoying every second of it as he felt Smoker’s arms tighten around his waist. This was so nice? He wasn’t used to things being so nice like this

 

“Ew how disgusting, someone pry them apart with a crowbar.”

_Who the fuck?!_

Ace and Smoker broke apart hastily at the comment, turning to look at Hina and Tashigi who had just walked in

“Hina! You disturbed their moment!” replied Tashigi, slightly embarrassed

“ _Yeah Veronica_!” snipped Ace, a little pissed, remembering what he said last night

“Hey, don’t you start!” replied Hina, not impressed

“What’s this?” asked Tashigi, looking confused between the two of them

“Last night, his tipsy ass said that I was like Veronica Lodge and you were like Betty Cooper!”

Tashigi blinked slowly, and then she gasped “Oh! You are! You are like Veronica Lodge!”

Smoker snorted, trying to contain his laughter

“Excuse me?” asked Hina, looking a little insulted

“Oh course! You’re so confident, and smart, ambitious and so sharp! Also beautiful and fashionable! Just like Veronica!” and then she chuckled softly “I guess Betty would suit me well too!”

Hina blushed slightly, surprised at the answer

“Oh, but who would Archie be?” asked Tashigi, curious

“Nobody!” repeated Ace, waving his hand “Nobody fits that bill.”

“Oh good, I always thought he was a jerk stringing along those two girls! I’d like to think we don’t have anyone like that in our circle of friends!”

“Alright, we should probably get going” said Smoker, picking up the bags

 

It took them not long at all to pack up the car. Ace quietly watched from the porch with Justice, who was lying down beside him, moping. He was sure she knew that her master was leaving.

While they did so, Ace looked through his phone frowning – why did so many people text him last night?

Guess he should check Sabo’s first

_Sabo:_

_GARP IS IN TOWN!! HE CRASHED THE DANCE!_

 

“ _Oh god no_ ”

“What’s wrong?” asked Smoker, frowning as he went up the stairs towards Ace

“Apparently Garp’s in town!”

“Yeah, that explains the face you made”

“Apparently he crashed the dance last night after I left?”

“Why do _you_ know that Garp D. Monkey’s in town? I didn’t know that and I’m actually in the forces” asked Hina suspiciously

“Oh, Garp’s my gramps.” replied Ace with a nervous smile

Hina’s eyes widen considerably in shock as her mouth dropped

“WHAT!?” cried out Hina, beyond shocked “ _He has grandkids_?!”

 “So why is he in town?” asked Smoker as he lit two cigars and put them both in his mouth. Ace sighed happily as the smell waved through the air; he’s going to start getting hard at the smell of cigars, isn’t he?

“Don’t know. Garp doesn’t exactly announce his arrival.” explained Ace

“Feel free to hide here as much as you’d like” offered Smoker, making Ace laugh softly

“Very appreciated!”

Smoker smiled slightly, removing the cigars from his mouth and leaning down to kiss Ace softly, surprising the other

“I thought-!”

“This is a sleepy neighbourhood. Nobody’s up at this hour.”

 “Alright Smoker, stop smooching with your boyfriend and get in the car!” said Hina, pointing to the car as she and Tashigi got in.

Ace felt stupid happy about being called Smoker’s boyfriend, _more than he cared to admit_

“Apparently I need to get going.”

“Boyfriend huh?” asked Ace with a shy smile

Smoker shrugged “Hmph, doesn’t bother me.”

“I’ll see you Sunday?” asked Ace with a big smile on his face, Smoker nodded

“Be good and I’ll bring you a present” said Smoker as he scratched Justice behind the ear

“Oooh a souvenir!”

“ _I was talking to Justice_ , but I guess you too. But _only if you’re good_!”

Ace laughed, shoving slightly Smoker’s arm

“I’ll try my best, now get out of here before she gets pissed”

“She’s always pissed”

“Chase! Wait! I…I know what I’d want”

Was he really going to ask?!

Shit, here goes!

“What?”

“When you come back…Can we spend time together?”

_You’re an idiot, Portgas!_

Smoker blinked, seeming a little surprised that Ace asked. But then he smiled softly

“Of course. We’ll spend more time together when I get back”

 

Ace watched them drive away and turned to Justice, smiling

“I have a few things to answer here and then we’ll go play?”

Justice wagged her tail, rubbing her face against Ace’s as he sat back down, making him laugh as he checked his phone

“Okay, Marco just said the same thing but apparently he needs to talk to me about something and it’s urgent. Guess we can go cross the park to go see him later? You wanna do that?”

Ace laughed as she wagged her tail harder – guess she knew what ‘park’ meant!

“Hmm let’s see, text from Luffy, wonder how his night went? … _WHAT?! LAW’S HIS BOYFRIEND NOW_?!”

Holy shit

_Holy shit!_

Luffy has a boyfriend?! Oh my god, his little brother was dating someone!

To think Luffy has a boyfriend at 15 and he only got his first one at 17

Then again, it wasn’t fair to compare, they were two different people and Ace hadn’t actually met someone he liked enough to want to date until the Captain anyways

Yeah, he wasn’t behind or anything

Was he?

Then his phone vibrated and Ace looked down – Sanji!

 

_Sanji:_

_Is there any where I could meet you? Are you in town today?_

 

Ace smiled, giving Sanji the address for Smoker’s house. Now, he couldn’t invite Sanji in or anything, but he could meet him outside and they could go to the park! Two birds, one stone!

 

Ace stretched out his arms, Sanji had agreed to meet him in 20 minutes so Ace took advantage of that to take a shower. Man, taking a shower in a regular shower, with privacy did absolute wonders to his body. He wished he had the nerves to take advantage of said privacy, but he felt that getting off in his boyfriend’s shower was a bit much.

He soon got out of the shower and quickly dried up as Justice excited the bathroom with him. Ace felt bad, he knew she was currently stuck on him because Justice knew her master was gone. Ace scratched behind the ear, letting her know that her presence was appreciated. Ace quickly went downstairs and dug out his usual pair of black shirts and a simple yellow short sleeve button up shirt. He didn’t bother with a shirt underneath today and left it open. People will just have to deal with his partial nudity. He then put on his usual beaded necklace, his watch and his bracelet. Ace groaned slightly, he didn’t have room for his usual hat in his bag, so he’d have to make do without today. But thankfully he went to the dance with his combat boots, so he had those available to him.

Ace then quickly ate the breakfast Smoker had made for him. It had very generous portions and Smoker had prepared him a full pot of coffee. Clearly Ace had found _the One_!

Just as he finished getting doing the dishes, he heard the doorbell ring

Ace frowned; it took much longer than that to get here from the Baratie?

Ace grabbed Justice’s leash and Justice ran to the door, wagging her tail excitedly. He laughed, clipping on her leash and grabbed one of the many balls by the door. Ace laughed again, Smoker clearly spoiled her rotten!

Ace opened the door to a very surprised Sanji – who instantly looked down at Justice

“Hey! Thanks for meeting me! I’ll be out in a second!” said Ace as he sat down to put on his boots as Sanji watched him carefully and petted Justice

“So…not to pry, but you’re not in the middle of something illegal here, are you? Who’s house is this?”

Ace barked a laugh; of course everyone thought he was doing shady stuff!

“No, no, I’m dog sitting this little lady for the weekend, meet Justice!” explained Ace, making Sanji smile as he kept petting Justice

“Ahh that explains it! Aren’t you a beautiful girl?” cooed Sanji as he crouched down to keep petting Justice, who clearly revelled in the attention

“Do you mind if we walk her while we talk?”

Sanji shook his head, smiling

“Not at all”

 

“Sooo, not to pry, but isn’t that what you were wearing at the dance last night?” asked Ace, smirking slightly. He clearly saw Sanji winced at the mention of his clothes. He still had on the dress pants, belt and dress shirt he was wearing yesterday, but it was now wrinkled and his tie was loosely hanging around his neck.

“Ah, yeah, I didn’t go home last night” admitted Sanji as he sighed. He put his finger in his mouth for a moment and then held it up, checking the direction of the wind. Looking satisfied, he dug a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and put one in his mouth, lighting it up

“Oh ho ho ho, big night for mister Blackleg?” teased Ace as Justice happily trotted alongside the sidewalk besides them. Ace was glad that Sanji had made sure that the wind wouldn’t blow smoke in Justice’s direction

Sanji flushed furiously, shaking his head

“No, no I didn’t - ! We didn’t! Urgh, you said you had something to show me?” asked Sanji, clearly trying to deflect the question

Ace nodded, sticking his hand in his pocket, pulling out his phone

“So, last night, my tipsy ass snuck out and uh, I came across something interesting and apparently decided it was a great idea to take a picture, so here” explained Ace as he handed the phone over to Sanji who looked confused

And then he looked mortified

“ _Fuck! Shit! Fuckity shit fuck!”_ cried out Sanji

“Well, if you ask me, yeah, fucking is where that looked like where it was heading”

“Did you-?!”

“No, not a single person has seen this photo but the two of us. Nobody. So, it’s your call to decide what you’re going to do with it. You want to delete it, go ahead. You want to keep it, go ahead, you want to send it to yourself, that’s fine, just…I wanted it to be your decision.”

Sanji frowned slightly, thinking over his decision and Ace watched him press buttons, not sure what Sanji decided to do and then Sanji handed over the phone. Ace saw that the picture was now deleted

Sanji chewed quietly on his cigarette until he pulled it out of his mouth to exhale

“I…sent it to myself. In case you want to know.”

Ace smiled, satisfied

“Soo…are you two?”

“No! No. We’re, I …I don’t…I don’t know. I just…I don’t think it’s a good idea.” explained Sanji, frowning. Clearly this has been frustrating him for a while

“Why not? I think you two are very good together and clearly you’re both really into each other”

“It’s not that simple, Ace. I, I’m not someone who should be getting involved with anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

Sanji plopped down on the nearby bench, looking honestly wrecked. Ace frowned sharply, sitting down beside him as Justice trotted up to Sanji, nuzzling his leg, knowing he was distressed

Man she’s a great dog!

“Can I tell you something, Ace? But you can’t tell anyone?”

Ace nodded, leaning forward, hands on his knees

“Of course you can, Sanji”

“I’m…more or less a fugitive. Except not? My…urgh, I don’t even know what to call them, but they told me to leave and never come back and that I wasn’t allowed to associate myself with the family name anymore. So, even though, I’m free from them…I still feel like they’re this big shadow in my life and I’m terrified of them one day coming back because they suddenly have a use for me.”

Ace stared at Sanji, shocked. Granted, yeah, he always knew that Zeff had adopted Sanji, but he figured that Sanji was just an orphan? Not that he got basically thrown out!

“How old were you?” asked Ace, quietly, wanting more info, but he didn’t want to upset Sanji anymore than he currently was

“I was 8.”

Ace could feel the rage burning inside of him

“They kicked you out at 8!?”

Sanji nodded, sighing as he exhaled “My…’ _father_ ’ had deemed me useless. So yeah.”

“So…Why would it be a problem if you and Zoro dated? Like, how would this cause a problem?”

Sanji was silent for a moment, and then he bit his lip

“If they decide that they need me for something and I’m not ‘available’…They might try to kill him.”

 

Ace blinked slowly, trying to register what Sanji just said to him

“What? What kind of family is this?! Who are these people?!”

Sanji looked at Ace, clearly hesitant to admit this information

“ _You can’t tell anyone! Ever_!”

“I won’t! I promise!” Ace could feel his arm hair rising, this was so nerve wrecking!

“My birthname is Sanji Vinsmoke, royal prince of the Germa kingdom”

“Get the fuck out of town!” cried Ace, shocked as he stood up “No fucking way!”

Sanji just looked at Ace sadly. Shit, Ace now felt like a total ass. He hated when people did that to him when they found out about Roger. Ace sat back down, pulling Sanji into a sideways hug

“I’m sorry, I was just really surprised. I didn’t think you were from a royal hitman princely legacy, Sanji”

Sanji sighed and smiled weakly

“Surprise?”

Ace then chuckled softly

“I didn’t realize we were so alike, Sanji.”

“Huh?”

Ace smiled softly, he owed Sanji at least this much for the bomb he just dropped

“…Portgas isn’t my birth name. The reason I can’t get a social security number is because of my actual birthname, so I’ve been going by my mother’s family name since I was a kid.”

“What?” said Sanji, utterly surprised

“My birth name is Ace D. Gol”

Sanji stared at Ace, completely shocked, jaw lacked. He almost lost his cigarette but reacted fast enough to catch it

“No…No way, you’re…How are you related to-?” asked Sanji, amazed

“I’m his son”

“You’re Roger D Gol’s son?!”

“Yeah”

“Did you…Didn’t he get executed over 18 years ago?! How is that-?”

“My mom was pregnant with me when he was executed.” explained Ace quietly “He was aware of it though, because he picked out my name.”

“That’s…That’s incredible, Ace. But…I thought they were trying to execute all the family members?”

“They are” replied Ace, smiling weakly

“Ace. You’re in danger!”

“Yeah, until I turn 18.”

Sanji smiled slightly at Ace

“I guess we are the same in some way.”

“Honestly Sanji? I wouldn’t stop yourself from being happy because of a possibility. And it’s Zoro, I feel like Zoro’s got this if someone ever tried to attack him. I think he’d enjoy it honestly”

Sanji laughed softly

“That brute? Probably” replied Sanji, smiling softly to himself

Ace smirked, elbowing Sanji softly

“You liiiike him”

“Shut up”

“You want to kiiiisss hi- oh wait, you did”

Sanji made an irking noise and softly shoved Ace’s arm as Ace laughed

“Shut up! You’re one to talk, crushing on the chief of police like that!”

“Hey man, that one isn’t a secret! And I think I’m doing pretty well considering Justice is his dog”

Sanji paused, looking at the dog that had lain on the ground, enjoying the sun

“She’s -!”

“Yeah, she’s Captain dog! Justice is a retired police dog, so now she’s just lovely”

Sanji nodded as he reached over to scratch the top of Justice’s head, which in turn wagged her tail happily

“Want to keep walking around?”

“Sure”

 

“Sometimes Ace, I think you’re some sort of witch”

Ace blinked, confused at the comment

“I have heard many things thrown my way, but not witch – are you offering to become my familiar?”

“It’s just, you have this ability that just loosens the tongue and makes me spill out everything. I can’t seem to keep secrets around you”

Ace chuckled

“It’s because fundamentally I’m not in your main circle of friends, so it’s easier to talk to me, like it would between coworkers and stuff” explained Ace, not the first time he’s been told this

“I guess that’s true.”

“So, you gonna make a move?” asked Ace smirking, he was probably way too into the idea of Zoro and Sanji dating to be honest, but it’s only because he thought they’d be cute together!

“On Zoro? No, I don’t know. But not out of cowardice, I just think it would be weird for us. Could you imagine? A big declaration of love to Zoro Roronoa of all the goddamn people”

Ace chuckled, it actually sounded pretty funny

“Well, I wish the two of you luck. You seemed to enjoy each other _very_ much the other night”

Sanji rolled his eyes, taking another drag of his cigarette

“Be quiet. By the way, heard about Luffy?”

“Of course I heard about it.”

“And?”

“Honestly? It’s weird. He’s my little brother; the idea of him dating is just so…alien to me”

“Especially to Law of all people, he’s such a serious, brooding person. But it was super cute to see Luffy falling for him though.” said Sanji, smiling “And it proved your point”

“My point? Which one, I make a-many points!”

Ace smiled, he liked when Sanji laughed

“The one about Luffy not caring if I was into men too”

“Oooh look at you, being able to admit you’re into men” teased Ace, making Sanji roll his eye, well the visible one

“Oh shut up, it’s hard to deny it now. But it’s…a very selective thing.”

Ace laughed, he was feeling much better now, but then he noticed his watch

“Shit, I have to go to see Marco now”

“Begone Ace, I should head to the Baratie myself. The old man was fine with me missing the morning rush, but he won’t be if I miss the lunch rush.”

“Alright, you take care, Sanji”

 

Ace crossed the park and soon entered the Whitebeard’s estate grounds from the back and opened the back gate. He really hoped that Smoker wouldn’t mind him bringing Justice to the Whitebeard mansion but it’s not like he was bringing her inside?

Marco stood up from the large gazebo in the backyard; he closed the large binder he had on his lap. Ace could only guess that he was balancing the books or something

“You wanted to talk to me or something?”

“You brought his dog?” stated Marco, smiling as he went forward to pet her as well

“Yeah, he lives across the park and I had to talk to Sanji for a bit so yeah”

“Saw him making out with Zoro too, huh”

Ace froze slightly – shit!

“Oh, so does everyone know?”

“Anyone who went out the back knows. But it’s not being discussed, I’ve kept an eye on the usual gossiping sites on social media. Speaking of, nice picture you took of you and Justice for your Instagram this morning, but did you have to say ‘ _My girlfriend for the weekend’_ as the caption?”

“We are in love and we’re going to elope, you can’t stop us!”

Marco snorted, rolling his eyes

“So, how come you wanted to meet in the garden?” asked Ace, looking around

“Izo came back from the restaurant with some rather alarming news.”

Ace frowned sharply

“What?”

“Apparently, our assumptions about Sakazuki were correct. He is still an agent of the World Government. Not only that, apparently the secretary as well is an agent of CP9. Rosinante told Izo that he highly suspects that they’re planted here because they’re looking for someone, and he suspects it’s you.”

“Me?!”

“Well, Roger’s kid.”

Ace’s stomach sunk. No! Not now! Now when things were going so well!

“Why did Rosinante tell Izo that anyways?! Why would he even say stuff like that?”

“The reason Izo skipped the dance last night is because Sengoku was a special guest at the restaurant. Izo was hoping to get some sort of info from him but got it from Rosinante instead who went with him.”

“Why was-“

Wait! Smoker told him this!

“Because Rosinante was adopted by Sengoku. Instead they got into a fight because Sengoku refused to tell him why there were agents all over town, so this was Rosinante’s deduction and it would make sense. They are planted at our high school.”

Ace sat down on the bench, feeling the colour drain from his face. Holy crap, they were after him

“What can I do?” he asked Marco meekly

Honestly Ace was really upset. Is that why Garp was in town? To warn him? Or did he not know? Or did he know and didn’t say anything?!

“Honestly? Nothing. They have no way of proving that’s who you are, but who have you told so far? We need to know exactly who knows so that way nobody else can know.”

“Um, Garp, Luffy, Sabo, Dadan –“

“Just Dadan or everyone?”

“ _Just Dadan._ Garp made sure of that”

“Good, continue.”

“You, Pops, Koala knows I think –“

“She’s an information broker though, she won’t reveal that one.”

“And Sanji, since I told him today.”

Marco frowned

“Why did you tell him?”

“Huge secret for a huge secret.”

Marco lifted a brow, clearly not understanding it, but shrugged, knowing Ace wouldn’t tell him anyways

“And that’s it?”

“Yeah, unless Luffy blabbed to someone.”

“Think he would?”

Ace smiled meekly, shrugging his shoulders as Marco sighed, rolling his eyes

“Okay. Well, we’ll keep an eye on everything. Worst comes to worst, we’ll road trip to Canada until you turn 18.”

Ace chuckled softly “Is that so? I demand to go to a sugar shack!”

“Of course you would. Also” started Marco, turning and grabbing a book he had on the bench with him and handing it over to Ace

“This is for your report? I saw it in the library.”

Ace blinked, smiling as he took the book

“Thank you, Marco”

“It’s a book, Ace.”

“No, like, thank you. So much, for taking care of me like this.”

“Don’t even mention it” said Marco smiling “We’re a bit attached to you here, so we’ll make sure to keep you around.”

Ace smiled brightly, he was lucky to have such a great gang but then Ace frowned as he noticed something

“Why is Justice sitting so weirdly besides you?”

Justice was currently sitting perfectly straight besides Marco, pointing at him with her muzzle

Marco frowned, looking at her for a moment and then shrugged

“Because she found drugs. That’s what police dogs do when they find drugs.”

Ace lifted a brow

“You packing?”

“ _Was,_ I just did my round. But I have a bit left on me, speaking of -” started Marco as he dug in his pocket, pulling out an envelope

“No thanks, I told you I’m not into that shit”

Marco rolled his eyes, shaking the envelope slightly to tell Ace to take it

“It’s the layout of the building for the job this Sunday, or did you forget?” Accused Marco as Ace took the envelope and ripped it open, scanning it over, memorizing it quickly

“Me? Forget?” started Ace as he took out his lighter, smirking as he set the content on fire “ _I would never forget_ ”

Marco smile “Counting on you, Fire Fist”

Ace couldn’t even deny how excited he was

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annd that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed it and next week - well Cora has a son to pick up!


	34. - CORA- I Must Have Been Horrible In A Past Life Or Something (WHY?!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little earlier in the day than I usually post it but I figured why the hell not! I'm up and I have time!
> 
> A03 isn't sending me emails for your comments for some reason! So if I'm late responding to them, that's why!

 

 

 

Cora yawned loudly as he drove up to the Goa Grand Hotel

He was exhausted!

Okay, maybe that bottle of wine he nursed until 3am was probably a very shitty idea

_But damnit! He was mad! And there was wine!_

At least he didn’t cry all over Law this time

Not even a moment after he got there, he saw Sengoku go outside, Daisy following as he carried his suitcase. Cora was always impressed that a man his age still had all of his strength – same went for Garp actually

Cora quickly got out of the car, opening the trunk of the car

“Here, let me help you with that.”

Sengoku shook his head, putting the suitcase himself in the trunk

“I’m fine, Rosinante, I’m not that old”

“I’m being polite!” replied Cora with a little bit more whine in his voice that he would have liked. Sengoku chuckled

“I know, I’m teasing.”

Cora sighed in relief; it seems that Sengoku had calmed down a bit, thank god. He opened the back door, allowing Daisy to hop in, surprising Bepo who had been napping in the back

“It’s a goat! Cora there’s a goat!” cried out Bepo, apparently really alarmed

“I told you he had a pet goat” replied Cora, surprised at Bepo’s reaction

“I know, but it’s a real goat!”

“Bepo…Have you never seen a goat before?”

Oh my god, could he?

“N-No! We didn’t have goats back home!”

Cora chuckled softly, petting daisy on the head

“She’s really nice, just watch your clothes.”

 

“ _Did that boy just call you ‘Cora’_?”

Rosinante instantly froze, slightly forgetting about that

“N-Nope! You misheard! He said ‘aah’! As in ahh there’s a goat!”

Bepo nodded, carefully petting Daisy

“T-That’s right! I would never call…Ro-sinan-te that!”

Cora looked at Bepo in despair; they should have practice saying his name, shit!

“I see.” replied Sengoku as he got in the passenger seat and buckled up. Cora ran around the car and quickly got into the driver’s seat

“Oh! I’m Bepo by the way! It’s very nice to meet you, sir!” said Bepo, sticking his hand out between the two seats, offering it to Sengoku who readily shook it

“Pleasure to meet you too, Bepo. Rather early in the morning for you, isn’t it?”

“It’s okay! I wanted to come along to meet you, sir!”

Bepo had suggested he’d come along in the morning so that way it wouldn’t look suspicious to Law if they hadn’t met previously to him coming home. Cora was beyond relieved that Bepo was willing to keep the fight he had with Sengoku quiet

“That’s rather kind of you. Rosinante, I won’t be able to spend the day at your home because I have work to do today, but I will join you for supper.”

Cora nodded; he hadn’t expected him to stay at home anyways honestly. Sengoku was an extraordinarily busy man. Cora didn’t think for one second that he would take vacation time for him. If he was in Goa, it was because he had business

“That’s fine, I’m just happy to have you around for any of the time you have available.”

Cora caught sight of Bepo in the back, who seemed to be frowning and glared slightly in Sengoku’s direction. Apparently Bepo wasn’t too pleased that Sengoku had work scheduled when he was supposed to be visiting his son.

“And I work! So it works out!” added Cora, trying to diffuse the tension

“So Bepo” started Sengoku, looking into the rear view mirror to look at Bepo who smiled instantly, putting up a pleasant façade

“Yes?”

“Tell me how school is going for you”

Cora smiled brightly, an effort was being made!

 

“Wow, I was hoping it would look better in them morning.” commented Bepo, looking around a bit horrified as they got to the path in front of Luffy’s house. Nope, the Corvo district will always look the same, no matter what the time of day

“A-Ah! Don’t worry! I’ll go get Law and be right back!”

“He’s with Garp’s grandson, isn’t he?” asked Sengoku, looking around as he stepped out of the car – _shit_! Was he coming along?!

“A-Ah yes! I drove them here last night!” clarified Cora, a little nervously – something was telling him to keep Sengoku away from the house

“Hmph, of course Garp would have a house in the middle of the blasted forest. We’ll wait for you here.” said Sengoku as he got back inside the car

Cora nodded, and quickly started his trek down the path

 

Cora was more or less pleased. Minus that hiccup in the beginning, things were going pretty smooth! But the biggest issue will always be Law. Law won’t pretend to be nice to someone but Cora is hoping he’d be less…hostile? Oh god, hopefully he had a good night and this won’t be an issue-… _holy shit, this is a dump_

Cora stared in awe at the …house(?) that was in front of him. Was Law messing with him?! There’s no way this is where he was – was it? Oh man, had he known…he might not have let Law stay here…ah.

Cora sighed, running a hand through his hair. Alright, time to put the prejudices aside and go grab his son.

He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Cora stood there for a moment and raised a brow. He didn’t hear it ringing, so it’s probably broken. He sighed, now knocking on the door, waiting for an answer

“ _Go away_!”

Cora’s eyes shot wide open as he stared at the door – did he seriously just hear that?! Cora knocked again, this time a little harder

“Hello, my name is Rosinante and I’m just here to pick up my son!”

“Nobody with that name lives here! Go away!”

_Okay_

_  
What the fuck?!_

“His name isn’t Rosinante, that’s my name! I want my son called Law!”

“Oh”

Cora blinked, surprised as he heard someone come down what sounds like a small flight of stairs and unlock and unbolt…apparently many many locks and deadbolts. Holy crap, how paranoid were these people?! Soon enough, the door opened, revealing who Cora assumes was the voice yelling at him. So he stood up straight, smiling brightly to make the person more confortable

“Ah! Good morning! Sorry for coming so early bu-“

“AAAHH YOU’RE A COP! WE’RE NOT CROOKS!”

And then the door was slammed in his face and he could hear all the locks being reset

Oh right – he was in uniform. _WAITAMINUTE!_

“HEY! No! Give my son! Give me Law!” screamed Cora as he started to bang hard on the door

“GO AWAY! YOU’RE A COP! NO COPS ALLOWED! GET OFF MY PROPERTY NOW!”

Cora growled and kicked the door as he kept banging it

“GIVE ME MY SON RIGHT NOW OR I’M SETTING THE FUCKING HOUSE ON FIRE!!”

“WE DON’T HAVE YOUR SON! YOU HAVE THE WRONG PLACE!”

“YOU OPENED THE GODDAMN DOOR WHEN I SAID I WAS HERE FOR LAW! DON’T LIE TO ME! I WILL BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!”

“GO AWAY! OR I’LL – I’LL CALL THE POLICE!”

“I AM THE POLICE! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY SON!” yelled back Cora as he kept beating at the door, he back up, getting ready to kick the handle in when suddenly –

 

“Why the hell are you yelling?”

Cora looked up and saw Law and Luffy looking out the window, down at Cora

“She’s not letting me in!” whined Cora, pointing to the door

“Of course not, Mister Rosisi! Dadan hates cops!” explained Luffy, chuckling “I’ll go tell her to open the door!” and then Luffy disappeared from the window

“Did you have a good night?” asked Cora, smiling; he could relax now that he saw Law

“Uh…yeah” answered Law, turning a bright red

_Huh?_

But before Cora could ask, the door was opened in front of him; he was greeted by a smiling Luffy with Dadan hiding in the back

“Come in Mister Rosisi! Dadan, say you’re sorry!”

Dadan looked to the side, clearly put off by the whole display

“I’m sorry, had I known that you were uncomfortable with cops, I would have come in my civilian clothing. I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is Rosinante Trafalgar, I’m Law’s father. ” explained Cora slightly bowing

_Guess she doesn’t know that her…son (?) was dating the chief of police_

He…also didn’t think she would be blushing?

“A-Ah, it’s fine. I’m sorry for my hasty reaction, um, Law is such a nice boy!”

Law soon entered in sight, carrying his bag and ready to go. But before he had a chance to come outside, Luffy grabbed Law’s sleeved and pulled on it slightly. Cora frowned a bit, trying to read Luffy’s lips to figure out what was going on – but just as Luffy and Law started to lean into each other, Garp came out of nowhere between them

“Rosinante! What are you doing here?”

“Picking up Law?” explained Cora, pointing to Law – were Law and Luffy just about to kiss?! _How dare this gorilla of a man disturb Law’s moment like that?!_

“Oh yeah, the moody brat, good timing, I want to spend time with my grandson but Luffy and the moody one were locked up in the attic all morning, not coming out!”

Law once again flushed bright red, using his hat to hide his face as Luffy merely chuckled besides him, clearly pleased

_Okay, something is going on_

“I…I see. Anyways, Law, we should get going, I have to head to the station.”

“Why are you in such a rush? The big grump isn’t in town. Apparently that’s why Ace isn’t here”

“Doesn’t mean I should be late” replied Cora as Law came up to him at the door

Cora then grabbed Law, turning him around to face Dadan and Garp and put his hand on Law’s head, forcing him into a slight bow

“Thank you so much for taking care of my son last night. I hope he wasn’t too much trouble”

“Oh no! No trouble at all, he was a sweet boy!” replied Dadan, her cheeks still flushed. Huh, guess Law made a good impression on her?

“Thank you for having me” answered Law curtly. Cora internally sighed, at least he did it

Luffy soon came right up to Law, grinning

“I’ll walk with you guys!”

Cora blinked “Sure?”

“Great!” said Luffy as he instantly grabbed Law’s hand as they started to walk, making Law blush even more

Okay, either Luffy was the biggest tease ever and Law was going to die or-

“Did you guys have a fun night?” asked Cora, casually, hoping that someone spills the info

“Yeah! Guess what, mister Rosisi!”

“What?”

“Law’s my boyfriend now!”

Cora could literally feel the colour draining from his face. He could feel his jaw dropping, his eyes widening – _what?_!

Law looked completely embarrassed. Like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole

So, it made him laugh

“What the hell is so funny?!” growled Law, trying to grasp the little dignity he could

“How embarrassed you are!” replied Cora, pointing at Law, as he kept laughing

“So it’s okay?” asked Luffy, with a bright smile, making Cora pause. Was Luffy asking for his permission?

Cora smiled softly

“Of course it’s okay. You have my full support.”

Law looked at Cora a little surprised and then looked down, smiling a bit

“This also explains why Bepo absolutely wanted to come along this morning” noted Cora with a grin

“Ah! Yeah, I texted him the news last night.” explained Law, still embarrassed

“We’re going on a date next weekend!” happily announced Luffy

“Is that so? Just make sure that he’s home by 10pm, okay?” said Cora happily

“Will do!”

 

They finally arrived to the car; apparently both Bepo and Sengoku had gotten out of the car and were quietly discussing something. Bepo was the first to notice them and smiled brightly

“Oh! Law!”

Cora walked up to the car as Law and Luffy stopped, quietly talking to each and then they kissed each softly and broke apart as Law went to the car and quickly got inside as Luffy skipped back to his house

Bepo gasped loudly, getting back into the car as fast as possible to clearly get all the details

Sengoku stayed outside, a slight frown on his face

“Your boy and Garp’s grandson are together?”

Cora nodded, about to open the door, but hesitated, in case Law wasn’t meant to hear this conversation

“Yeah, it became official last night apparently.”

Sengoku frowned more, looking towards the house

“The Monkeys are nothing but trouble, you know, every single one of them.”

Cora frowned slightly – was this about Dragon?

“Luffy’s a really nice boy. He has been nothing but good to Law.”

Sengoku huffed, opening the door

“I suppose you’re right.” And he got inside the car

Cora’s eyes narrowed slightly once Sengoku got into the car. All this secrecy was getting really annoying.

 

“Cora! There’s a freaking goat in this car!” said Law, shocked as he buckled in, making Bepo laugh

“Her name is Daisy and she’s a very nice lady!” replied Cora, making boy the boys in the back laugh

“ _They are calling you Cora_.”

Cora froze slightly before he started the car, not willing to address what Sengoku just said

“Yeah. We call him Cora. _What’s the big deal_?” asked Law, smirking as he crossed his arms

_Law no! Don’t be hostile!_

“ _His name is Rosinante_.” stressed Sengoku, glaring at Law with the rear-view mirror

“I know his name. But I’ve always know him as Cora.”

“He isn’t part of that gang anymore and neither are you. So there’s no need to use his code name.”

“We’re just used to it” offered Bepo quietly

“Well you shouldn’t. You should address him as Rosinante.” sternly stated Sengoku

“I’m sorry” replied Bepo quietly, bowing his head in shame. Cora couldn’t miss the anger in Law’s eyes

Cora gulped loudly – this is going to be so bad

“How about you don’t tell us how to talk to him? I have an issue taking orders from someone who I barely know. So mind your own business.” said Law, crossing his arms behind his back

 Sengoku was silent for a moment

“I see now why you developed such a distasteful habit like talking back, Rosinante.”

“The fuck did you just say to him?!” yelled Law from the back, gripping the seat in front of him to stick his head between the seats, to glare at Sengoku

“Excuse me?” asked Sengoku, insulted

“ _You are not allowed to talk like that about Cora or to him_ , you hear me?!”

Cora stared shocked at the scene that was in front of him as he kept driving. He clearly needed to separate these two but honestly, he couldn’t deny how much it warmed his heart that Law was so aggressively sticking up for him

“Law, it’s okay.” Cora said as gently as possible as he pulled over

“No! It’s not okay! This bastard comes out of freaking nowhere and think he can tell us how to live our lives, how about he goes to fucking h-“

Cora shifted to pull Law’s head into a small hug as he nuzzled Law a bit, trying to relax him the best he could in the position we were in

Law huffed

“Fine.”

“Thank you, Law.”

Law pulled back, getting back in his seat and crossed his arms, looking out the window

Sengoku watched the whole ordeal silently and exhaled loudly

Cora sighed, restarting the car and kept driving, what a damn day already

 

When they got to the police station, Bepo and Law also got out of the car

“You guys sure you don’t want me to drive you home?”

Law shook his head

“Naw, Penguin and Shachi are waiting for us at the library so we can do our homework together”

Cora smiled, nodding

“Alright, you boys have fun, okay?”

They both nodded and leaned in to give Cora a quick hug before breaking away and walking towards the library. Bepo clearly was already egging Law for more details concerning his change in status.

Cora couldn’t help but smile warmly at them, watching them walk away

“Perhaps I may have been too rough on you.”

Cora blinked, turning to Sengoku and Daisy who had stepped out

“Oh?”

“That boy was ready to assault me because I had spoken ill of you. If he cares that much about you, clearly you’re doing something right.”

“They’re both great boys. But they’ve been through a lot.” reminded Cora

“I do not like that they call you ‘Cora’ though. That association with Doflamingo needs to be stopped.”

Cora shook his head

“It makes them happy to call me that, so there’s no harm.” answered Cora “Will you be fine getting to your meeting?”

Sengoku nodded

“Yes, I’m being picked up in a few moments. Go inside, Rosinante. I’ll be fine.”

Cora nodded, turning around and going inside

He sighed loudly. Cora had hoped to at least smoke once before his shift started

Then his phone beeped

Huh? A message

Skype?

 

_D.D.Q._

_Did you enjoy the musical? I figure you’ve listened to it a hundred times by now!_

Cora groaned loudly

_Oh great_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Next week we get Law's POV of this day and a little bit more, I hope you're all excited for it!


	35. -LAW- If This Is Going To Be Our Married Life, I Want Out! (Why Is Your Family And Mine Like This?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh more of a short-ish chapter this week because I didn't want to do a play-by-play of every scene from last week, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

 

 

 

The weight on his chest was nice and comfortable mused Law

The spaghetti octopus limbs on the other hand-

“Luffy…You’re squishing me.” muttered Law, trying to get out of Luffy’s grip

“Naw, I’m _trapping you_.” mumbled Luffy, snuggling in closer

_Oh right_

Law’s eyes snapped open as he looked to the side. He wasn’t dreaming! There was Luffy, wrapped tightly around him, limbs everywhere, clutching onto him in his sleep. Law usually wasn’t a back sleeper – it was too much of a vulnerable position, but here he was, on his back

And he didn’t have nightmares!

Law sighed in relief; it would have been so humiliating if he did. It didn’t help that when he woke up from a nightmare, he’d usually have a panic attack right after. Too many nights did Cora and Bepo stay up, merely sitting beside him, talking to him gently as he went through the motions until the panic attack settled down. But he was a miserable mess for the rest of the day – fuck he hated having…urgh, he didn’t even want to say it.

 “C’mon Luffy! I need to go to the bathroom”

Luffy whined as he shifted, untangling himself from Law as he rolled on his back

“You gotta unlock the door.” reminded Luffy as he fell right back asleep

Law smiled to himself. This was just really…domestic? Except that Law refused to live in a shithole like this! He squandered in crappy places in the past, but he didn’t want that anymore. When he’ll be a surgeon, he’ll able to afford nice things. Him and his loved ones will never suffer like he has

Law gathered up his things, figuring that if he was heading to the bathroom, he might as well get dressed. He had entertained the idea of taking a shower, but uh, that had to be the shittiest shower he’s ever seen and it looked all gross and rusted and no thank you. God, how is everyone in this house not sick?!

Law as quietly as he could, made his way down and to the bathroom. He quickly went to the bathroom and got dressed. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he took a moment to wander around the house, knowing that Luffy was still asleep. By what he saw, the only person that had a bedroom to themselves was Dadan. Everyone else slept basically wherever they could. Especially now, with everyone passed out drunk in the living room

It was so gross.

_There was drink cups and food everywhere!_

Law had to resist the urge to start cleaning because it wasn’t his house but man was this place making it hard for him.

A dog suddenly trotted up to him, making Law smile. He didn’t see a dog yesterday! Law petted the dog softly for a moment, before the dog turned and trotted off to the living room and started to eat the leftover food that was scattered around the room on small plates

Yep, Law needed to leave this gross scene

 

Law climbed back into the attic and found a sleepy half-awake Luffy who gestured to Law to get back into the bed. Law smiled, willing himself to go back

“You got dressed?” asked Luffy sleepily as he clutched Law’s hoodie, pulling him closer

“Yeah, my dad’s coming to pick me up around 8, so-“

“I like mister Rosisi” said Luffy with a sleepy smile. Shit, he was being too cute, he was going to die

“I like him too.”

Luffy then smiled, leaning up to give Law a kiss, but Law put his hand in front of Luffy’s mouth, making Luffy do a startled noise

“Not until you brush your teeth.” Law winced, mentally hoping that Luffy wouldn’t be offended. Thankfully, Luffy merely chuckled, smiling

“Okay, I’ll go do that.”

Luffy then rolled to the side, getting up and padded across the room and slowly left it. Law could still tell he was really sleepy, but was really touched that Luffy wanted to kiss him so bad that he was still going to go brush his teeth

Law took the chance to go back to the food stash that Ace prepared for them, hoping to at least find something for breakfast.  Bingo! He found two bottles of juice ( _actual_ juice this time) and some poptarts. It wasn’t the most nutritious food but it’ll do.

Luffy came back excitedly and threw himself on Law, hugging him tight

How Luffy got that enthusiastic in five minutes he’ll never know

Law laughed slightly, offering a poptart to Luffy who took a big bite out of his, happily eating

Law would never admit how the weight of Luffy on his back was weirdly comforting

“Did you sleep well?” asked Law as he started to eat his own pop-tart

Luffy shifted, sitting on the ground, but leaned on Law as they both ate

“Yeah! I slept great! I like how you’re just the right amount of warm, Ace is way too hot”

Law raised a brow

“You sleep with Ace a lot?”

Law knows this shouldn’t bother him, _but it kinda did_

“Hmm, not that much, only when it’s way too cold in the winter, but Ace takes out the really good blankets when it gets cold, so it’s not something we do a lot. When we were kids though, we kinda just shared one big blanket! But one day, Ace got these mattresses so we were finally able to have our own beds!”

_Once again, Ace for Dad of the Year_

 Luffy then shifted again, leaning in

“Can I?”

Law nodded nervously as the touch of them shared another kiss, a little longer this time, both of them feeling rather brave. Law slightly opened his mouth and-

 

“ _AAAHH YOU’RE A COP! WE’RE NOT CROOKS_!”

 

They both instantly broke apart, looking around for the source of the screaming

“Who the-?!”

“Oh, it’s Dadan? Why is there a cop here?”

“ _GO AWAY! YOU’RE A COP! NO COPS ALLOWED! OFF MY PROPERTY NOW_!”

Oh no _– it couldn’t be_

“ _GIVE ME MY SON RIGHT NOW OR I’M SETTING THE FUCKING HOUSE ON FIRE_!!”

And it was

“ _WE DON’T HAVE YOUR SON! YOU HAVE THE WRONG PLACE_!”

“ _YOU OPENED THE GODDAMN DOOR WHEN I SAID I WAS HERE FOR LAW! DON’T LIE TO ME! I WILL BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR_!”

“ _GO AWAY! OR I’LL – I’LL CALL THE POLICE!”_

And this was getting bad

Law stood up instantly, running up to the window, slamming it open and looking out of it – and there Cora was, in full police uniform, beating on the front door

“ _I AM THE POLICE! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY SON_!”

“Why the hell are you yelling?” cried out Law, trying to get Cora’s attention. Law sighed in relieve when he saw Cora instantly calm down once they locked eyes

 “She’s not letting me in!”

“Of course not, Mister Rosisi! Dadan hates cops!” explained Luffy, chuckling. Law blinked, he hadn’t noticed Luffy besides him “I’ll go tell her to open the door!”

“Did you have a good night?”

The memories of last night suddenly flooded Law’s mind – _yeah, he had a great night!_

“Uh…yeah”

_Shit, he was blushing wasn’t he_?!

 

Law watched as Cora was let in and turn back inside the room and grabbed his bag and went down the hatch and down the stairs to where everyone had gathered in the doorway.

Law was getting ready to join Cora as the door but he felt Luffy tug on his sleeve, pulling him back. Law blinked, confused but was only greeted with Luffy’s smiling face

“Thank you for coming, Torao!”

“I should thank you for inviting me”

“Do you have plans next weekend?”

“Not really” admitted Law, a little embarrassed

“Wanna go on a date? We can go to the movies!”

“Sure”

“Great!” replied Luffy, with a big smile on his face as he leaned in for another kiss, Law leaning down to join him when suddenly they’re pushed apart by Garp coming through between them

Was that on purpose!?

_Law could not believe that Luffy just outright told Cora that they were dating!_

He was ready to sit Cora down, quietly discuss it, prepare him, and give him some wine, anything! _Not just blurt it out_!

But then again, it had also been rather painless?

_Minus the part where Cora laughed at him, that is_

But now he had to deal with this problem.

Like Law expected, _Sengoku was a dick_!

It was one thing to be an ass towards him; honestly, Law knew he probably deserved it. He didn’t tolerate anyone being an ass to Bepo. _But he would not forgive anyone being an ass to Cora_!

And this son of a bitch hit every one of his buttons in a span of 20 minutes

It goes without saying that he hated this man with a passion and wanted as little as possible to do with him!

 

“Sooo…”started Bepo as they walked away, grinning from ear to ear “Give me all the details!”

“There isn’t much to say” admitted Law honestly as they walked towards the library “We talked while playing Smash Brothers and Luffy planted one on my cheek, we talked more, he told me he liked me and wanted to be my boyfriend, I reciprocated and then we kissed and made it official.”

Law frowned when he noticed how beyond unimpressed Bepo seemed with him at the moment

“You’re like, the worst storyteller ever, Law.”

“What the hell do you want me to say?!”

“Some embellishing? Some roleplaying? Some details?” offered Bepo as Law shook his head

“My life isn’t a Harlequin novel, Bepo”

“Well, it better start becoming one since you’re the only one in our group dating so we’re going to get all the juicy news from you!”

Law rolled his eyes, making Bepo shove his arm and they both started to laugh

“So, what an ass that Sengoku, huh?”

“Yeesh, no kidding. Already he bailed on Cora last night because the two of them got in a fight at the re- Oops!” Bepo instantly slapped his hand on his mouth

“What?!” Law couldn’t believe it – he ditched Cora last night?! “Cora took the night off for him! He’s going to have to work extra to make those hours up!”

“Yeah, but Cora asked me to keep it a secret because he knew that would piss you off!”

“Of course it would piss me off! He ditched Cora! Like he ditched him this past year!”

“Weirdly enough though, he was really nice when we talked early, he just seems kinda strict.”

“Urgh, I don’t freaking like him at all.” growled Law, irritated at the topic

“Well duh, the guy’s a butt, but he is Cora’s dad. We’re gonna have to try to be extra nice when we get home, okay? By the sound of it, he’s only going to be there in the evening anyways.” explained Bepo as they walked up to the library

“ _Fine_. But only for Cora. Not for that dick.”

 

“What dick?”

Law and Bepo blinked, startled from their conversation to see Penguin and Shachi waiting for them at the top of the stairs

“Cora’s dad” answered Bepo as Law walked past them, done with the topic

“Oh yeah?  Guy’s a dick?” asked Shachi as they followed Law in, continuing the blasted conversation

Great

“Yeah! Law almost fought him!” said Bepo making both Penguin and Shachi gasp

“No way! You almost punched an old man, Law?” asked Penguin, shocked

“The guy’s in his 50’s and a Marine, he could take a fucking punch.” hissed Law

“What did he do?” asked both Penguin and Shachi in unison

_Where was the librarian telling them to shut up?_

“He insulted Cora”

“Ooooh” both said Penguin and Shachi, as if it explained everything

 

“This is a library, gentlemen, you might want to keep your conversation about Sengoku being a dick down”

Law blinked, surprised at the input from a total stranger until he saw Koala sitting there, surrounded by books, with her binder open. By the looks of it, she was also working on homework

“Oh hey Koala” greeted Law, walking up to the table “Unusual to see you without Sabo.”

Koala giggled, pointing towards the bathroom with her pen

“He’s taking a call in the bathroom, he’s half this mess”

True to Koala’s words, he did see another binder open, opposite from her

“That’s Sabo’s girlfriend!” explained Bepo quietly – well, Bepo thought he was being quiet

“She’s real?! I thought he just said that so nobody would know he was dating Ace?”

“I told you he wasn’t dating Ace, you dolt!”

“Yes guys, I’m real! Sabo and Ace aren’t dating! Well, not without my permission” said Koala, chuckling but then her expression got really serious

“So Sengoku, huh? Not every day the head of the World Government forces is in our little city, is it?”

“He’s here to visit Cora.”

“Is he though?” asked Koala innocently, slightly tipping her head

Bepo frowned

“He’s not though. He told Cora that he had tons of work to do so that’s why he can barely spend any time with Cora.”

“Now that sounds more like Sengoku. Any idea who’s he’s meeting today, do you?” asked Koala innocently. Law’s eyes widen – she was trying to get information!

“A-Ah! No! He didn’t say, just that they were going to pick him up at the station.” admitted Bepo

 

“He’s apparently meeting our esteemed principal.”

Sabo stated, coming up to the table. He then turned around and did a small wave to the boys

“Is he now? Hmm, I’m going to need to call Marco about this. He already sent me a message saying he needed to discuss something important with me.”

“Uh…is this cryptic for just me or everyone?” asked Penguin nervously

Koala laughed softly

“Don’t sweat it! It’s nothing important.”

Law’s eyes narrowed

“Is this something I need to know?”

Sabo shook his head

“No. But, if you could do us a favour?” asked Sabo

“Keep your ears open?” finished Koala sweetly – Law knew exactly what she was implying

“Does this involve Luffy?”

“Not directly. Well, that’s not my hunch anyways. But indirectly yes.”

“Okay. Then I’ll do it.” Replied Law, doing a quick nod – both Koala and Sabo grinned

“Thank you! Also, congratulations are in order! Apparently you and Luffy are official now!” said Koala, grinning brightly. Law didn’t miss how Sabo huffed his own congratulations. Law frowned. He thought he was okay with them?

Koala rolled her eyes, elbowing Sabo in the stomach

“Don’t mind him; he’s being a big baby since his little Luffy is now old enough to be dating.”

“O-Oi!”

“W-wait, you and Luffy are now official?!” squeaked out Penguin, pointing to Law, shocked

Oh crap right

“You didn’t tell us that?!” cried out Shachi, shocked as well

Law could feel his face burning up

_He’s going to have to retell this story a million times, isn’t he?!_

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week we're going back to Ace! Is anyone else doing NaNo? Man! It's work to do it and a fanfic at the same time! Thankfully I was ahead enough with this one! Until next week!


	36. -ACE- How Do People Have Affairs in Secret? (Please Let Me Know!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh a slightly turbulent chapter for Ace! I'm glad I finally got to ACTUALLY show some gang stuff!

 

 

 

There was something satisfying in hearing a skull crack when you landed a perfect hit

It was also satisfying to hear them screaming as they’re being burned at the same time.

Ace stretched out his neck as he started to walk towards the guy he just punched. The guy was clutching his burnt head, trying to crawl away. Ace wished he had gotten his name

 “S-Stay back! Or I’ll-I’ll-!”  
  
“You’ll what?” challenged Ace, smirking – this guy’s got nothing on him “Hey man, I told you I’d leave you alone if you just hand over that client list. You guys were warned to stay the hell off Whitebeard property and yet – here you are! Not only distributing and selling on our property, you even had the galls to try and steal our shipment! So now I’m going to break your fucking face.”

“Hey now, h-how about this! You leave us alone and I’ll…I’ll give you a cut of the profits!” offered the guy as he kept trying to crawl away from Ace – but Ace shattered his kneecap earlier, buddy wasn’t going too far

“Give me a cut of the profit? Did you hear that Thatch? Buddy here thinks he can buy me off!”

“What an idiot!” replied Thatch as he threw one of the gang members in the room, laughing

The mission was a simple one. Get in, get the client list, beat the living shit out of the asshats, remove their shipment and burn the place down. So far, they had gotten in, beaten the living shit out of the asshats, a bunch of the guys are moving out the shipment as they beat the sit out of these guys and he hasn’t quite gotten that list – but he was getting to it!

“C-Clark! What did you do to Clark?!” cried out the man in front of Ace. Ace rolled his eyes, for a gang leader, the guy was kinda of a crybaby

“Just give me the client list and I’ll let you keep your other kneecap intact and I won’t give severe burns to your friend over there”

“You can go to hell, Portgas!”

“That doesn’t sound like you giving me the client list?” said Ace, lifting up a finger, lighting it on fire “I’ll give you until 5.”

“One”

“You can rot in hell, you piece of shit!”

“Two”

“I’ll never give you the list!”

“Three”

“Fuck you! Fuck you, you dirty whore!”

“Four”

“I don’t give a shit!”

“And five! Teach, my good man, hold him up, will you? Feel free to use those sword brass knuckle things of yours, because it’s going to get hot in here! I’m thinking castration? How about it?” Ace walked up to the man he guessed was called Clark, drew his hand into a fist, pumped in a little more gasoline to make the fire a little bigger, wounded up his arm, ready to punch and then –

“WAIT! Wait! Fine! Here it is! It’s all on this key! I swear!” said the gang leader, throwing the USB key at Ace, who caught it

“Now, how do I know you’re not lying?”

“You can trust me!”

_Like shit he could_

“Marco?”

“Up here”

Both Ace and the gang leader looked up, seeing Marco sitting on top of a support beam near the ceiling of the warehouse, typing away on his laptop. Ace grinned, throwing him the USB key which Marco easily caught. He plugged it into his laptop and nodded

“This is it, Ace.”

“Oh goodie”

“Fuck you, you piece of shit, I’m taking you down with me!” cried out the gang leader, whipping out a gun, aiming it at Marco, but before he had a chance to shoot, he got shot right in the wrist, making him scream out in pain and dropped the gun. Another shot came in, going right through the man’s hand

“Did that fool seriously think that nobody was covering you?” asked Izo, from another beam towards the back

“Apparently, alright Ace, wrap it up, throw these guys outside and light her up. The shipment left already and they’re heading to our warehouse” instructed Marco before he jumped down, landing gracefully in front of the gang leader

“And you. Listen to me and listen good, Carlos. _I told you_. I don’t want to see your face in Goa ever again – or you will need a new one. Ace was playing nice this time; he won’t place nice next time, understood?”

Carlos nodded his head quickly, as he started to cry, the gravity of the situation finally dawning upon him

Marco merely smiled

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

Marco closed his laptop and signaled them all to leave the warehouse as Teach and Thatch carried out Clark and Carlos

 

Moments later Ace stood there watching the building magnificently go up in flames. He hoped the owners of these abandoned buildings at least had insurance on them. But he had to admit, the building on fire during the sunset was really a stunning sight.

 

They soon all drove away, heading back to the Whitebeard mansion usually for a quick debrief, a shower and a celebratory meal, but Ace had to head back to Smoker’s house. The man was coming home tonight and he was rather excited!

“What’s with you?”

Ace blinked, shaken out of his thoughts as he looked in Thatch’s direction – but Thatch hadn’t been talking to him, he was talking to Izo who was frowning at his phone.

“Hngh, seems my brother is coming over during the holidays.”

“Don’t you usually go to Japan for the holidays? So how come he’s coming here?” asked Ace, curious

“Because you’re turning 18, I wanted to celebrate with you, so I asked if I could stay behind, but apparently that’s code for ‘let’s move the party to Goa instead’”

“Do you not like your brother or something?” asked Marco, looking at them in the rear view mirror “You don’t talk about him a lot.”

“No, I like Kin. I do, he’s just very…duty bound?” explained Izo, sighing, crossing his arms “He’s very old fashioned and he doesn’t approve of me moving out at all. He thinks I should stay home and help support my parents.”

“What does your brother do in life anyways?” asked Thatch

Marco made a point by mentioning that Izo rarely talked about his family. It was true, even though they made him constantly work at the restaurant they owned

“He’s a fashion designer, actually. With a specialization in textiles. His business partner designs the outfit and Kin makes them exist. Actually most of my clothes is designed and made by them. Fabric prints and all”

“I was wondering how the hell you’d have such nice clothing like that in Goa.” mused Ace out loud but honestly he was drifting, as much as he gets an adrenaline kick from fighting, he gets sleepy afterwards – the fact that he was narcoleptic didn’t help that at all either

“You nodding off Ace?” asked Izo with a bit of concern in his face – why was he concerned? He always dozed off?

“Yeah, I’m gonna head right over to Chase’s place and get cleaned up there and then take a nap. He should be home in about one hour anyways.”

“Didn’t you say Sunday night not evening?” asked Marco, not looking back

“Yeah, but he texted me saying that they were able to leave earlier than expected.” explained Ace as they drove in to the Whitebeard Estate

“Hmm.” replied Marco as he pulled in, parking besides the main entrance “Then we’ll let you go. You did great Ace, as usual. Get some rest, we have school tomorrow.”

Ace yawned, nodding as he stretched his arms   


“Roger that”

 

Ace walked into the house, yawning as he locked the door behind him. He was instantly greeted by Justice who trotted up to him happily. Ace grinned from ear to ear as he removed his modified glove, not wanting to get any gasoline on Justice before he petted her

“Hey girl, were you good today while I was gone?”

Justice enthusiastically wagged her tail in response. Thankfully he had only been gone a couple of hours, but he still felt bad leaving her alone all of this time. Granted she was probably used to it with her workaholic owner.

Ace quickly let Justice out in the backyard for her to do her business as he removed the other glove and stripped down to his boxers. He put the gloves away in his special locked bag that he kept in his green duffle bag. Thankfully he wasn’t carrying the gloves the day Smoker searched his bag. Ace took out of small garbage bag and put the black shorts he had been wearing in it, not wanting the smell of gasoline to get all over his clean clothes in the bag. Once again he was thankful that he usually did all of his jobs wearing the bare minimum. He had a lot less laundry to do. Ace pulled out some clean clothes and let Justice back in, scratching her behind the ear as she nudged her head against his leg

“Just going to have a quick shower, okay babe? Then we can cuddle all you want.”

Justice responded happily as she followed Ace up to the shower. A part of him considered using Smoker’s private shower in his room – but honestly he hadn’t dared to go in Smoker’s room. Even during the tour, Smoker had merely pointed to the door – saying it was his room, but it had been closed. Ace wouldn’t be surprised if it was locked.

 

After his quick shower, Ace felt slightly better. He had put on a pair of jeans and a thin red Henley shirt and settled on the couch. Not even a second later, Justice jumped on top of him, laying down over him. Ace laughed, petting her right away

“Guess you couldn’t wait huh? Maybe if I’m good and your master decides to keep me around, we can do this more often”

Justice merely settled into Ace, gently nuzzling Ace’s collar bone as she closed her eyes. Ace sighed happily. This was so nice and comfortable. He didn’t want this weekend to end; hopefully he’ll be able to do this again

He hoped Smoker _would_ keep him around for a bit

 

“Ace, wake up.”

Ace cracked an eye open, looking right into Smoker’s face as he loomed over him. Ace’s widened his eyes, jumping up slightly, but was stopped by the weight of Justice still on top of him. Now she was a bit annoyed that her nap was disturbed

“Uh? What time is it?”

“It’s slightly past six.” answered Smoker, petting Justice to calm her down

“Oh, shit – have you been back long?” asked Ace sheepishly- damnit! He wanted to greet Smoker at the door and show him how good to he did taking care of the house – not having him walk in to Ace still sleeping on the couch!

“No, I just got home. I dropped Tashigi off first. Seems Justice is happy, looks like you did good.”

“M’sorry I was asleep when you walked in.” admitted Ace

“Why? You’re Narcoleptic; I assume this won’t be the last time I find you sleeping. It’s not as if you were doing a line of coke on my kitchen table.”

“Naw that was last night, ooh boy did Justice and I party! The whole town was invited, you missed it.” teased Ace with a big grin on his face. Smoker merely rolled his eyes

“Yes, absolutely. I truly believe that.”

“Did your trip go well?” asked Ace, sitting up a little more – Smoker probably wanted his house back

Smoker grunted, looking a bit off to the side

“It’s a memorial we do for my mother every year since her death. It went as well as it can.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” _Way to go, Portgas_

“Relax.” started Smoker as he ruffled up Ace’s hair slightly “It’s been 18 years since we lost her.”

Ace smiled softly, leaning into the touch

Smoker paused for a moment, clearing his throat slightly as he looked to the side

“I…Do you…Did you have supper yet?”

Ace blinked, looking at Smoker surprised. His heart made a small jump when he saw that the other’s cheeks were slightly flushed

“No? I got back from a small outing and fell asleep…why?” teased Ace, he was hoping that the other was going to order pizza or something and they could have supper together! That would be great!

“Well…I was thinking…there’s this restaurant that the police department keeps talking about and I’ve been meaning to try it out myself, so if you’d like, we can go tonight and I can treat you…as a thank you…for taking care of Justice.”

Ace didn’t think that Smoker could possibly be as adorable as he was right now

Was he really nervous about asking _him_ out?!

Ace blushed furiously in return, now unable to handle the situation

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. This is very last minute after all, and I understand if would rather just go home, I can give you a ride ho-“started Smoker as he turned, about to head out of the room

“Yes! Yes I want to!” replied Ace, pulling on Smoker’s sleeve, trying to stop him as he scrambled off the couch, almost tripping on his own feet. Thankfully, Smoker caught him, and Ace instead wound up in Smoker’s arms

“Ah, well, we can go now if you’d like.”

Ace smiled brightly, giving Smoker a small squeeze as they slightly pulled away

“Yes! I’m famished! Let’s go to this restaurant!”

“Justice. Guard the house.”

Ace couldn’t miss the small smile on Smoker’s face as they stepped out

 

“Sooo, what’s this place anyways?” asked Ace as Smoker drove them to the restaurant. The ride had mostly been in a comfortable silence. Ace had attempted to hold Smoker’s hand while they were driving but Smoker had grunted and removed his hand. He quickly stated that it was because it wasn’t safe, not that he didn’t want to – so Ace didn’t take it to heart.

“A Japanese place. I swear half my staff lives there.”

Ace lost all of the colour in his face

_No_

_No way_

“Do you mean Foxfire?” asked Ace nervously. Smoker raised a brow

“What’s that face for? Is the place bad?”

Ace shook his head – shit! He didn’t want to ruin the date!

“No…No..just, it’s ah, it’s owned by my friend’s family.” That says enough without saying everything, right?

“Ah. I’ll ask for a private room then. That way nobody will be watching us.”

Ace smiled; surprised that Smoker hadn’t called the whole thing off

“Oooh a private room, huh?” teased Ace, smirking. Smoker rolled his eyes, shoving Ace’s arm

“I will turn this car around, I swear.”

 

They soon arrived to Foxfire’s and of course, Izo’s mom recognized Ace right away. Ace quickly asked his mother if Izo was working tonight, to which she had replied no. Ace internally sighed in relief. If Izo saw them, he would instantly know what was going on, and they didn’t need more people knowing.

Smoker and Ace soon settled in their private room. They ordered their drinks and some appetizers and instantly relaxed

“So your friend isn’t working tonight?” asked Smoker, taking a sip of the tea he ordered

“Nope! His mom said he was off for the night.” replied Ace happily, shifting to be sitting closer to Smoker, he knew that he didn’t need to be so close to the other man, but they did have a private room!

“Hm, what does he do here anyways? Chef? Server?”

Ace shook his head

“Ah, he does serve food, but honestly he’s the in-house geisha. So sometimes he dances or plays music, all sorts of things.”

Smoker paused for a moment, eyeing Ace suspiciously

“ _Your friend is a geisha_?”

“Yeah! Fully licensed and everything, whatever the hell that means.” explained Ace, taking a gyoza and plopping it in his mouth “So, where’s Hina anyways?”

“She stayed in Loguetown. That’s where her house is, but she’s moving up here soon.”

“For work?”

“No. She can work from anywhere. Hina just announced that she was moving here. Apparently she met with a realtor and already has her eyes on a house.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

Ace didn’t mind Hina per say – he just found her rather intense

“Also, I wanted to elaborate on something.” Started Smoker, but stopped when a server came in with trays of food. God Ace was ready to dig into that!

“Oh yeah, what?” asked Ace as he started to gobble down all the sushi

“The Roger thing.”

Ace paused mid-bite, looking at Smoker surprised, but then he swallowed his food.

_Did Smoker change his mind concerning his answer?!_

_Was he going to take it back?! Saying he hated the son of Roger?!_

“Oh?”

“I’m….” Smoker then turned bright red, looking to the side, embarrassed “I’m not a fanboy! I have a logical explanation!”

_Oh that!_

Ace laughed, relieved

“Aww it’s okay!”

“No, no, listen. I- argh. I knew him. Before. Sorta.”

_What?!_

“He came over to my house once. My…father was throwing a massive party and a lot of big names would usually show up. And he did. Roger. I think I was 12 or 13, I don’t remember. I do remember him getting piss ass drunk and was laughing and singing loudly and was generally just yeah…but then, his arrest happened and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This man, who had been a total party animal, was actually the biggest Don in the world. So it confused me. When they announced that he would executed in Loguetown, his birthplace, and that they would drive him to his execution, parading their victory in catching him in an open top car, that I needed to see him, to confirm that it was really the same man. But the man I saw in that car – to this day I still can’t believe it was the same drunk buffoon. He was so…proud. He had this noble air to him, a smirk on his face as they drove him to his final destination. The pride he was beaming as he waited for his last moments. Those final words of his, goading the whole world into an era of crime.”

Ace listened in awe to Smoker’s story. He had heard his father describe in many different ways – a devil, a monster, a dangerous blood thirsty monster – but never like this, with so much humanity and awe.

“It utterly confused me and to this day, I think I just keep trying to piece it all together. Who was Roger D. Gol truly? Was he the blood thirsty madman Don that the stories make him out to be, the prideful man on the scaffold, or was he truly the buffoon at my house? So I’m trying to figure it out I guess, so I collect little things about him, like that receipt.” explained Smoker, taking a piece of salmon sushi and eating it

Ace paused, mulling it all over

He really didn’t know how he felt about any of this, honestly

“Wow, that’s kinda really intense. Well, gladly keep the receipt.”

“You can have the suit though; I’m not taking someone’s clothes.”

“Yeah…I still need to ask Marco about that” growled Ace slightly

“What’s your issue with Roger anyways?” asked Smoker, taking another sip of tea “You were a bit hostile with Hina.”

“I don’t know”

  _Yes, he did._

“It’s just, all gang members are expected to worship Roger and it annoys me, you know?”

_Because I’m his son and the world wants me dead because of it._

“I think I just don’t like being told what to think, you know?”

_Please don’t hate me too if I ever have the courage to tell you_

“Makes sense” replied Smoker as he kept eating, then Smoker turned to look at him, frowning slightly “Ace?”

And everything went black

 

Ace snapped his head up, looking around as he rubbed his eyes – shit! He fell asleep! Ace looked down and saw that his head was on a pillow, he looked at it confused as he turned his head only to see Smoker checking through his phone

“Shit, I’m so sorry, was I out long?”

Smoker looked at him and shook his head, putting his phone away

“No, maybe 10 minutes. Thankfully I was able to catch you before you face planted in your food.”

Ace laughed softly in relief, he was still pretty embarrassed though

“Well at least that’s good!”

“Your phone did ring though.”

“It did?” Ace put his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open. It was a message from Izo?

_Izo_  
_My mother texted me that you’re on a date with the Captain?! You have SO much explaining to do!_

“Fuck!” cried out Ace – Izo’s mom, why?!

“What’s wrong?”

Ace gritted his teeth – a part of him wanted to hide it, but shit, he knew he’d be in shit later if Smoker found out he had told someone else without his consent, so he showed the Captain the text

“Ah.”

“Shit, I’m so sorry! Shit, what do I tell him?!”

“The truth.”

_Wait what?!_

 “But I thought you said three people?”

“Yes, announce it to three people, but if someone finds out, it’s pointless to make up a lie to cover it up. I just want this to be discreet. I knew that if I took you out there was a chance for us to be discovered, but I’m not a man that enjoys hiding.” explained Smoker as he kept eating a piece of sushi, pushing the platter towards Ace, encouraging him to eat more

“Oh. Okay, I’ll tell him the truth tomorrow.”

“Good. But just him, please don’t announce it to your group.”

“Okay!”

“And when you’re done eating, we can head out. Do you want to be brought home or…do you want to spend another night at my place and I can drive you to school on my way to work in the morning?”

Ace blushed furiously at the suggestion of another night – but he wasn’t stupid enough to say no to that!

“Sure!

 

The drive back to the house was quiet as well. Ace couldn’t stop the butterflies in his stomach from going nuts. He was going to spend another night over! This time he wasn’t tipsy or anything! Maybe things would go a little further this time around?!

They entered the house and were greeted enthusiastically by Justice who was overjoyed at having both of them back home.

“Did you want to watch a movie or something?” offered Smoker as he took off his boots and made his way to the kitchen, going through the cabinets and taking himself out of a glass and pouring himself a drink

“Sure!” agreed Ace as he plopped himself on the couch after removing his own boots, Justice quickly joining him on the couch as well

“Can I get you anything?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having!”

Smoker grunted in agreement as he brought the drinks to the living room as Ace turned on the tv and started Netflix up

“Looking for anything in particular?” asked Smoker as Justice laid her head on his lap

“Nope, just anything really”

 

They eventually settled on a documentary that they both wanted to watch, but not even 20 minutes in, Ace and Smoker started to exchange small kisses. Ace wasn’t sure who even started this, but honestly he was enjoying where he was now!

Justice had long escaped the two on the couch, gone elsewhere. Ace was now laid on his back, strewed on the couch, one hand in Smoker’s hair while the other on his shoulder. Smoker’s hand had a good grip in Ace’s hair, slightly tugging at times as his other hand lay on Ace’s hip. The two of them hungrily exchanged kisses, slightly shifting their bodies to slowly rub against each other’s. Ace groaned softly as Smoker’s tongue explored his mouth, telling himself to breathe through his nose.

Suddenly he felt a cold nose on his cheek making him yip, jumping slightly. Smoker only narrowly escaped having his tongue bit.

Ace blinked, turning to look at Justice who let out a small whine. Smoker sat up, getting off the couch and went to the patio door as Justice quickly followed along, needing to do her business

Guess that was the end of that

 

A few moments later, Smoker returned with Justice in tow who hopped back on the couch, Ace had now sat up and chuckled as he petted Justice

“Sorry about that”

“Aww it’s fine!” replied Ace as he nuzzled Justice “She needed to go, it was more important.”

“It’s getting late” pointed out Smoker “How about we hit the hay”

“Okay” replied Ace, getting off the couch

“Ah…Tonight…instead of the guest room, why don’t we just share my bed”

What!?

“Really?!”

“But no funny business!” warned Smoker, glaring as he pointed to Ace to make his point “I work in the morning.”

“Scout’s honor!” swore Ace as he headed up the stairs

“Okay, go get ready and I’ll meet you up there in a moment.”

“Sure” agreed Ace a little curiously, wondering why Smoker was suddenly looking at Justice who seemed to be trying to get his attention. Meh, it was probably his imagination

“What is it, girl? _Show me_.”

Ace frowned as the voice reached his ear.

_Urgh, this could be bad_

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh-! Is this going to spell trouble for our duo? Guess you'll just have to wait and find out!


	37. - CORA- This Has To Be Breaking So Many Laws (But It's For The Best I Guess)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quickly solving the mystery of last chapter and much more progress on many things - enjoy!

 

 

Cora frowned as he parked his car and started walking towards the station

It had been a rather…eventful weekend. Considering Law’s change in status and the fight with Sengoku, tensed dinners, Sengoku had boarded his plane late Sunday night and left, spending next to no time with Cora.

Honestly, he was used to it. Sengoku was the head of the World Government Forces, the man was extremely busy but it was hard to miss how his lack of presence had left a rather nasty taste in Bepo and Law’s mouths. Both boys had verbally complained (Bepo with a lot more tact than Law) that Sengoku shouldn’t have even bothered to come if he didn’t want to spend any time with Cora. But Cora knew better. Especially now since his biggest fears had been confirmed – Agents have been placed in Goa. And for probably a good reason too. He now had to keep an eye on that and hopefully he can figure out who the intended target was before anyone else.

And then there was Doffy’s message

Which basically just let to pointless chitchat about the musical, Cora tried to get more info out of Doffy, but Doffy wasn’t having it at all.

Honestly it felt kinda nice to just chat with his brother again

_No!_ Sengoku was right, he needed to separate it! Doffy was a threat! Not his brother!

Cora sighed as he walked into the station, immediately catching a very frustrated looking Smoker talking quietly with Tashigi who looked worried. Cora narrowed his eyes slightly, watching their lips so he could grasp the conversation as discreetly as possible

 “I was about to go upstairs when Justice signaled to me that there was a problem. So I followed her and she gestured to Ace’s bag and made the signal that there was a bomb inside.”

“A bomb?! Did you look through the bag?”

_What the fuck was this?_

“Hmph, no. But I did feel around a bit from the outside. The bag had a potent smell of gasoline for sure and there seemed to be a locked bag within the bag, but from what I could tell, it felt like metal gloves, but I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to start snooping through his shit. But I’m going to keep an eye on this. Especially with the factory that went up in flames and the guys that were picked up yesterday.”

“You think Ace did it?”

“I think the Whitebeards had something to do with it. But they’re not talking, especially not the guys with the severe burn marks on them.”

Cora’s eyes widen considerably. Shit! This must be awkward for Smoker; he was dating, well, Cora was sure of it anyways _, a suspected arsonist_.

 

“Oh Rosinante! When did you get in?”

Cora jumped slightly as Bellemere came behind him, making both Smoker and Tashigi stop talking and turn towards Cora, who crashed into his desk in consequence and fell over it

“I… I just got in! Sorry! Little distracted today!”

“Oh! Did you have a nice weekend with Sengoku?” asked Bellemere with a big smile on her face

_Shit, she probably saw him eavesdropping!_

“Ahh, yeah, _sorta”_

“Law huh?”

“Hahaaha, how did you guess?”

“Well, we have work today! We have four guys that need to be interrogated”

“No. I’ll do it myself.” cut in Smoker, glaring

Cora swallowed visibly; shit the Captain was terrifying when he was like this

“They’re all yours, Captain if you want, but you just got back; don’t you want to take it easy?”

“No.” said Smoker, putting a cigar in his mouth as he headed towards the interrogation room “Bring ‘em in. I’ll crack them before noon.”

“Yeesh, he’s in a mood” commented Bellemere as Smoker left, and then she left to go get the prisoner

Cora felt bad for those guys – they sure as hell were gonna get it!

 

Once actually at his desk, Cora pulled up the file of yesterday’s incident. Apparently one of the warehouses by the dock of the East side of town went up in flames yesterday afternoon. From what they could gather, four people were taken in for questioning, but the rest of the gang was rounded up and sent straight to Goa Pen. The injuries were mostly caused from battery and of course, gunfire wounds. But the most suspicious of injuries of course was the severe burns on a rather large number of the victims. Forensic noted that more of the burns looked like it was done by a fist – so they highly suspect it’s the Whitebeard 2nd Division Commander’s doing, the so called ‘Fire Fist’, but because none of the captured men want to press charges, the police departments hands are tied. 

Cora pulled back, shocked. Wasn’t the 2nd Division Commander… _Ace?!_

It wasn’t a bomb that Ace had in his bag! It was the device that makes him be able to put his hands on fire! Holy shit! _It was Ace_! No wonder the Captain was in a shitty ass mood!

 

“So from your face, you figured it out, huh?”

Cora looked up at Bellemere, who was standing behind Cora, offering him a cup of coffee that Cora gladly took

“How come in the report it doesn’t name him?” asked Cora carefully

“It’s…a weird unwritten rule to not mention Ace’s name in anything.”

Cora frowned sharply, confused

“What?”

Bellemere sighed, reaching over to her desk and wheeled her chair over to Cora’s desk and pointed to the monitor

“Try to look up Ace in the system.”

Cora nodded and quickly typed in the name ‘Ace D. Portgas’, and got nothing but an a huge error message

“What the hell is this?!”

“That – is why we don’t write Ace’s name. It always shows up as a giant error message. We think his name is monitored for whatever reason, so once the initial report is written, someone or something looks it over, if it’s damning towards Ace, error message. If Ace is merely involved or is the victim, no error message. And also- “

Before Bellemere could finish her sentence, Cora’s phone at his desk started to ring with ‘Number Unknown’ flashing. Cora gave a worried look to Bellemere before picking up the phone

“Hello, G-“

“Why are you looking up Ace?!”

_He knew that voice!_

“Garp?!” replied Cora, shocked

“Rosinante? Why are you looking up my Grandson?”

“Curiosity, I wanted to see if he had any mischief on him” lied Cora as Bellemere snorted besides him

“Well don’t. He’s clean as a whistle. Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?”

“Sorry sir”

“Don’t do it again!” said Garp before sharply hanging up

Cora put the phone down and looked at Bellemere shocked

“And that’s why it only says Fire Fist even though we all know it’s Ace. Look up ‘Devil of Corvo District’”

Cora hesitated for a moment, frowning at Bellemere

“Garp won’t call me pissed off again, will he?”

Bellemere laughed, gesturing to Cora to get on with it

“No, no, I swear.”

“So Garp has a code in for Ace? That’s kinda ingenious.”

“Yeah, and it’s done with the World Government system so we can’t override it whatsoever.”

Once the results were loaded, Cora’s jaw dropped

“Holy shit, this rap sheet is the size of a phone book!”

Bellemere laughed

“Yeah, but it’s mostly for eat and runs and mugging. But this is also Ace, but look at this one, this assault charge that was dropped here, look at the date.”

“This is…This is from 13 years ago? Ace must have been like, five?!”

“Yeah, he almost killed two grown men with a pipe. Ace is…He’s a good kid, really, he is, but he was a very angry one when he was younger. He mellowed out a bit once Luffy and Sabo joined him. But when Sabo was believed dead, Ace changed. He suddenly became very responsible and polite and did everything to keep his nose clean – until he became Fire Fist and started his own gang. Ace is truly a good person, but…there’s a lot of anger deep inside of him and I think Garp is trying to protect him from that, but in the end, it’s Ace who has to deal with it. Garp can’t cover his ass forever and Ace is going to have to eventually pay for the decisions he’d made.”

Cora frowned slightly, sadly looking towards the Captain’s office. This must be so hard for him right now

“You also probably noticed that _clearly_ things have taken off between the Captain and Ace.”

Cora had to laugh at that, it wasn’t exactly discreet

“I think, I think the Captain will do a lot of good for Ace, and I also think Ace will do a lot of good for the Captain. But I’m afraid that this – “said Bellemere, gesturing to the long rap sheet on the computer “Might wind up being both of their breaking points.”

“Yeah, it would make sense.”

Then Cora grunted, as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out only to see another goddamn message from Doffy

“Fucking hell…of all times.”

“Huh? Who’s it from?”

“My brother, gimme a sec – he’s asking me…about the goddamn weather. Seriously?!”

“Wait, you’re skyping with Doflamingo?!”

 

“ _What?!”_

Bellemere and Cora both looked at a shocked Smoker, who apparently had been walking up to them

“Oh, you’re already done?”

“Yeah, they all sang. Apparently they had been selling in Whitebeard’s district and had been told to stop and didn’t, so they were shut down. _So, what the hell is this about you skyping with Doflamingo Donquixote_?”

“Uh yeah, he started sending me messages on skype. Usually they’re stupid and he hasn’t really been answering any of my questions and the only thing he’s done and send a creepy song to Law.”

“ _And you didn’t feel the goddamn need to mention any of this to us_?!”

“I…er…”

“Ask him if he plans on visiting you.” suggested Smoker quickly as he lit up the cigar in his mouth, clearly not giving a fuck right now

Cora blinked slowly, he never thought of that!

“…So…when am I expecting a visit from you…and send!”

The silence in the police station was incredibly tense as they waited for a reply – and suddenly, one came in

_DQQ_

_Not anytime soon. Too many government agents undercover sniffing around in Goa right now. You know me, I like to be discreet._

 

“I fucking knew it!” growled Smoker, slamming his fist down on the desk “I saw that bastard Akainu near the high school and there’s a couple of CP9 agents pretending to be construction workers as well!”

Then Smoker turned towards Cora – if this was a cartoon, he’d have smoke coming out of his ears as he glared at Cora

“Are you planted as well?!”

“No!”

“Did Sengoku tell you anything about this?!”

Cora frowned sharply

“Can I talk to you in your office?”

“Get in there _now_ ”

 

Cora quickly made his way into the office, Smoker, furious and following suite. Once inside Smoker quickly locked the door and turned towards Cora, making him feel like a threatened animal

“You are going to start talking.”

“Look. I asked Sengoku about the planted agents and he refused to tell me anything! He said he couldn’t trust me anymore after I had disobeyed him last time! I have no proof of anything, but I do have a theory. I think they’re looking for someone.”

Smoker relaxed a bit, taking a long drag of his cigar as it sunk in

“Any idea who?”

“It’s…a bit of a stretch, but it would make sense.”

“Lay it on me.”

“Roger’s son”

Smoker paused, frowning

“You shitting me?”

“Look, it makes sense! There’s no other high profile ‘criminal’ on the roster right now that would be in a high school! Everyone on the World Government Most Wanted List is over 18, _but Roger’s son_! And the clock is ticking!”

“Roger’s son would have to be 18 already though! Roger was executed 19 years ago in October; the statute of limitation has passed already.”

“No! See, there’s this theory! Do you know what island they thought Roger’s wife was hiding on?”

“Baterilla. In the Caribbean’s. But they checked every pregnant woman there. Nobody matched.”

“Ah! Wait! There’s this one woman though, she apparently was pregnant a really long time! _Like, really long_! So once it was reported that to the World Government that this woman had been pregnant for over a year, they had sent troops to go get her, but the woman died at childbirth and it said in the report that the child as well.”

“Am I missing something?”

“Yes! _The child’s body was never recovered_!” said Cora, a little too gleefully for someone talking about a baby dying

“….So it all adds up. But what the hell is the baby doing here in Goa?!”

“I don’t know! But that’s what my theory is – that they’re looking for this child!”

Cora watched carefully as Smoker muddled through all the new information he was given before he spoke up again

“Shit, I think the Whitebeards think the same thing.”

Cora blinked, surprised “Oh? How come?”

“Ace asked me a funny question this weekend and brought up if Roger had a child, how would I feel about this kid? It struck me as odd, but if the Whitebeards are also looking for this kid, it would make sense.”

Cora frowned sharply “Weren’t they rivals?! Edward and Roger?”

Smoker scoffed, waving it off

“They were, but they were also drinking buddies. Besides, Edward wouldn’t put the sins of the father on the child. He isn’t a man like that. ”

_How did he know that?_

Smoker groaned, running his hand in his hair

“Shit. That means the World Government Agents are here to murder a fucking kid. This is exactly why I left the goddamn forces, shit like this.”

Then Smoker turned to Cora

“Trafalgar. I’ll need you to keep your eyes and ears open on this. See if you can get any information about this from that brother of yours but if you come across anything – you goddamn tell me, you hear? I’m not going to allow the World Government to murder an innocent kid on my watch”

Cora stared at Smoker, completely stunned

“Are you saying you’re going to go against the World Government?”

“No. Not directly. I’m saying that this isn’t right, and I’m not going to stand for it.”

Cora couldn’t help but smile – it was good to have an ally in his pocket

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How does a first date sound?


	38. –LAW– I Couldn’t Even Make This Up If I Tried (WHY?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm busy tonight so I was afraid I wouldn't have time to upload the chapter before I have to go out! So here it is early instead!
> 
> No new pairings in this chapter, everything we've all seen before!

 

 

“Oooh Law’s first date, how exciting”

Law’s eyes narrowed as he shot a dirty look to his group of friends. He didn’t know why Shachi and Penguin insisted on coming over to help him get ready – he was going to the goddamn movies not a wedding!

Getting Cora to leave him alone was also enough of a challenge! Bepo was fine though, but he knew when to back off and was currently sitting on Law’s bed, trying to help Law narrow down to one shirt.

“I like this one, it’s cool looking and it’s also warm, so you won’t be cold in the theater.” said Bepo as he lifted up the yellow and black hoodie

“Yeah but Law wears that one a lot! Shouldn’t he wear something nicer for his date?”

“He’s going on a date with Luffy! You really think Luffy isn’t going to be dressed exactly the same as he usually is?!”

That was a good point

Law sighed, this week had been…weird. Not in a bad way, well, in a bad way when Sengoku was here, because fuck that guy, but weird in a nice way afterwards. He wasn’t sure how attached Luffy would get now that they were dating, but aside from hellos and goodbyes and kisses here and there, they generally still stuck with their own groups. Unless it was lunch time, then the two groups would eat together. So this date would really just be the two of them, and Law wasn’t exactly sure how he would handle that.

The other weird thing was…well.

Cora stuck his head inside the room and stayed silent for a moment

Cora had been rather distracted all week, seemingly weirdly preoccupied for now. Law didn’t know what it was, but if anything, he seemed a bit more rattled.

Honestly it was pissing Law off

“Cora! Do you think Law should wear this shirt or that shirt?” said Bepo, holding up two shirts

“Huh? Oh, the hoodie, it’s a bit chilly outside and Law made the design in the middle himself, so it could be a conversation topic with Luffy.”

“Oh, oh, Cora! Did you give Law ‘the talk’ yet?” asked Shachi, snickering.

Law turned bright red as he shoved the laughing Shachi

“Oh fuck off!”

“Oh please. With all of his medical training, pretty sure Law could teach me a few things.”

Law coughed his blush lessening. Cora had a point; he knew how all of that worked with much more knowledge than most people. And honestly, he thought it was a little too early to think about it, who says that Luffy even wants to?

“But it’s like, a parental passage! Law needs to get ‘the talk’!” added Penguin, grinning

“ _I already got ‘the talk’ from my parents_.” snapped Law, fed up with the conversation

The room instantly grew silent. Law sighed, he was afraid of this. As much as he didn’t really want to talk about his parents…or even Lami, he didn’t want people to walk on eggshells around him either. Especially not Cora.

“So, now that it’s resolved that Law knows what he’s doing, how about we let him get ready, hmm? He’s going to be late.” offered Cora, smiling softly – at least Cora didn’t look upset

“Ahh yeah, shit, sorry Law, didn’t mean for you to bring up stuff like that.” said Penguin, scratching the back of his head

“Yeah man, we’re sorry” offered Shachi and Bepo together

Law sighed as he put on the hoodie “It’s fine. You guys didn’t know.”

“There Law! See! You look great!” exclaimed Bepo, grinning

“What movie are you guys seeing anyways?” asked Cora as he went in the room and gave Law a couple of twenties

Law quietly took it and put the money in his wallet. He really wish Cora would let him get a part-time job or something, asking for money was kinda embarrassing

“There’s like, a samurai ninja flick at the theater that we agreed upon last night”

“Oooh last night? What where you two doing?” teased Shachi, wolf-whistling

“Oh shut up! We were just texting!”

“Alright, enough harassing Law” said Cora as he took out his phone and snapped a picture of Law “He really needs to get going”

“Says you!” accused Law, again with the goddamn pictures!

“I’m allowed! I’m your parent!”

Law chuckled, putting on his hat

 

Law exhaled and inhaled at the street corner. He didn’t want to admit how nervous he was, but he was really nervous. It was just the movies!

Then again, it was his first date ever, so it made sense that he would be nervous, but he never expected the knots he currently had in his stomach. Law looked down at his phone for the millionth time he swears in the last few minutes and stared at the picture that Bepo had sent him. It was the guys and Cora, giving a thumbs up with the message ‘YOU CAN DO THIS!’ written underneath. He just wish his nerves would settle a bit.

“Torao!” yelled Luffy as he ran up to Law, grinning ear to ear. Law blinked, surprised to see Luffy in a nice pair of jeans and a white button up shirt

“Luffy – you look nice!” said Law, a little surprised. Luffy chuckled

“Nami and Vivi dressed me! They said there was no way that I was going on my first date dressed like a slob” admitted Luffy as he took Law’s hand and started to guide them to the theater

“Well, they did good.” admitted Law, really taking the time to look Luffy over. The outfit made Luffy seem a little older, it was a bit weird, but it did suit him.

“Are you excited about the movie?” asked Luffy

 “Um, yeah, it looked kinda cool when I looked up” said Law as nonchalantly as he could. He didn’t want to admit it, but honestly he was beyond excited – _The Jamming Ninja vs The Nickel Samurai_ looked really cool!

Luffy grinned brightly at Law’s answer

“Great! I can’t wait to see it too!”

 

When they got to the theater, Law’s frowned sharply at the sight in front of him. It was completely packed and the marquee said in big bold letters that their movie was completely sold out! _Shit_! There was nothing else he wanted to see either!

What the hell were they going to do now?!

“Hey guys!”

Law turned and was surprised to see Usopp standing there in a usher uniform

“Hey Usopp! Where you able to get them?”

“Yep! The Great Usopp has saved your date and got you two tickets to the sold-out show of Jamming Ninja vs Nickel Samurai!” said Usopp, presenting them with two tickets to the show

“You work here?” asked Law, surprised, he didn’t know that Luffy’s friends  had part time jobs

“Yep! Only Friday nights and weekends during the day though! My nights are for Kaya!” said Usopp all excited

Law lifted a brow

“Who’s Kaya?”

“My girlfriend!”

“Ah, right.”

Law had forgotten about this, actually he’s pretty sure this isn’t the first time he had to be reminded of this fact

Law then blinked, surprised at what he saw. There was a big display, announcing the sale of a commemorative coin celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the theater. Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

SHIT!

Law wanted it –he wanted it bad. He didn’t even know when this thing started for him, but he loved commemorative coins so much – but coin collecting was so… _lame_. But he really did love it, shit. He had no way of getting his hands on it without being seen and he wouldn’t be caught dead being a giant nerd on his first date! Maybe he could get Cora to swing by and grab it some other time…

“What are you looking at? The commemorative coin? Yeah that thing is selling like hot cakes! It comes with a nice display case too!”

Fuck! It might sell out! Shit!

“Oh! Torao! We better get going! The movie’s gonna start soon and I want popcorn!”

Law nodded, letting Luffy drag him away as they went to the concession stand – maybe he’ll say he’s going to the bathroom and sneak off and buy the coin? Shit!

They went to the concession stand and Law took out his money

“I’ll pay for this since you got the food.” said Law, wanting to at least do his share, Luffy grinned, nodding

“Sure! Let’s get the big extra pack!”

Law only nodded as they waited for their turn at the cash – and when it came, he was surprised to see someone else he recognized

“You work here too?”

Chopper grinned brightly, nodding

“Sure do! Usopp and I got the jobs together!”

Law only nodded as Luffy ordered for them. Honestly Law was starting to get a little annoyed. He was hoping to spend time alone with Luffy, and they kept bumping into his friends. Had he known they were working here – he would have suggested someplace else. On the other hand…it was nice of Usopp to grab the tickets for them

“So how much?” asked Law, slightly dazed

“Don’t worry about it! I’m allowed free food here!”

Law blinked, surprised

“But I can pay?”

“It’s okay! Really! Have a great date, you guys!” assured Chopper with a big smile on his face, Law blinked, stunned

“Oh…alright.”

 

“Wasn’t that great of Chopper?” asked Luffy as they settled into the rather crowded theater – they got lucky and happen to find two seats together at a good distance from the screen

“Yeah, it was” Law felt bad now that he had been annoyed at Luffy’s friends being here. The movie soon started and Law’s nerves started to flare up. Was he supposed to make a move? Did he need to make a move?

But then he felt Luffy’s hand go over his and Law flushed, looking at Luffy who only smiled back.  Law couldn’t help but smile, this was nice

Halfway through the movie, engrossed as he was, Law had heard a funny noise. He looked around slightly and then blinked, surprised

He didn’t know that people _actually_ made out in movie theaters like that - ! Those two were really going at it too. But now that he had noticed that the couple behind him were making out, it was really hard to ignore it now! If anything, it was starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable. Law though wasn’t sure if it was because he was kinda grossed out or because he was kinda jealous and it was working him up. But bottom line, he kinda wanted it to stop.

“Zoro? Sanji? You guys are here too?” asked Luffy as he turned around, probably to see what Law kept peeking at

_No freaking way!_

The couple making out broke apart and sure enough – it was Zoro and Sanji!

“O-Oh, hello Luffy” said Sanji weakly, bright red

This is probably what Ace insinuated at the dance. Oh man, it was so obvious now that he thought about it.

“This movie has great fights, huh?” asked Zoro, not even the slightest bit embarrassed

Law sighed, turning around and getting back to the movie. He just wanted to be alone with Luffy!

 

The movie ended and the four of them walked out together. Law listened quietly as Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were discussing the movie, clearly avoiding the topic of what had taken place inside of the theater.

It seemed that another movie was clearing out at the same time, and lo and behold, Nami and Vivi walked out, holding hands as well.

“Oh! Hey guys! I thought Luffy was going on his date? How come you’ll all together?”  asked Nami, pointing to the four of them

“ _We are on a date_.” hissed Law, rather annoyed at this point but then he turned his head to look at the coin display and saw a big ‘SOLD OUT’ sign on top of it. _Are you kidding?!_

“Oh! Usopp and Chopper just finished their shift!” said Luffy, looking at his phone “Why don’t we all go out and eat together!”

Law could not believe what Luffy had just said!

“Uh…Luffy…Don’t you think that you and Law should go eat somewhere….together? Alone?” suggested Nami, as discreetly as possible. Law had much appreciated it

“Huh? Things are so much more fun as a group though!” said Luffy, not catching the hint

“Ah, miss Nami is right! You’re on a date, Luffy! You should be with Law only” said Sanji, trying to help as well

“Huh?” said Luffy, crossing his arms and tipping his head “Wouldn’t I want to have the most fun possible on a date?”

Law sighed, giving up

“It’s fine, we can all go out and eat something.”

Just as he said that, Chopper and Usopp ran up to them, smiling

“So we’re all going out to eat? That’s great! I’m starving!”

“Why don’t we go to that small bubble tea place by the corner?” suggested Sanji, gesturing with his thumb. Then he turned to Law slightly and smirked, giving a small wink – _what was that about_?

They got to the bubble tea place and quickly placed their orders and took a seat at a giant booth in the back. Soon enough their drinks arrived and the conversation turned towards the movie, school and anything really. But Law was beyond annoyed. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Luffy’s friends, they were overall okay – but he wanted to spend time with Luffy alone! Like they had at his house! Wasn’t that the point of a date?

“Uh oh! I have to go!” said Nami in a totally robotic voice as she stood up, surprising Law

“Oh that’s right! We have to go do that thing!” said Vivi, also standing up. The two girls shifted, about to leave but Nami then grabbed Usopp’s shoulder and gripped tightly

“Usopp! I must talk to you before I go!” said Nami, dragging a freaked out Usopp away.

They both talked for a moment, away from where Law could hear them and Usopp returned to the table

“I apparently have to go too! C’mon Chopper! I’ll walk you home!” said Usopp, looking a little terrified

“Huh?” said Chopper as he stood up; looking confused “How come?”

“We have that project! We gotta go work on it!” replied Usopp as Nami glared at him

 “Umm…okay?”

“Oh! Luffy! Here!” said Usopp, taking a small bag out of his backpack and handing it to Luffy, who grinned

“Ahh! Thank you, Usopp!”

“Oh! Look at the time! The old bastard wants me back for the dinner rush – c’mon, marimo. I’ll take you home so that you actually, you know, get home.”

“Huh?! I can get home just fine, you pervert cook!”

“Just come with me, you meathead!” yelled Sanji, grabbing Zoro’s arm and pulling him up

“Oh? You’re all leaving?” said Luffy, a little confused

“Yep! But you and Law should stay for a bit, we’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” said Sanji with a grin on his face, winking again to Law

Law smiled, pleased with the turn of events

 

They had all filed out and Law and Luffy were left alone. They each got a piece of cake and slowly ate as they talked about a lot of things. Soon enough, it was time to head out, since Law said that he’d be home for supper

They walked down the street, continuing their conversations as they held hands. But suddenly Law’s attention was diverted when he saw a Tesla turn the corner!

He didn’t even know someone in town had one!! Law gasped slightly as he watched the car turn the corner.  Suddenly the windows went down and he was instantly greeted with Ace and Sabo, with Sabo driving

“OOOOOOOOOOHHH!” yelled Ace at them and then started whistling, Sabo in harmony

_Oh god no._

Luffy started laughing as both of his brothers catcalled them, whistling loudly and making oooh-ing noises at the pair as they slowly drove besides them as they kept walking down the street.

Law’s face was scarlet as he was completely humiliated, but unwilling to let go of Luffy’s hand out of principal

“Will you two fuck off!” snapped Law, not able to take another second of this

Both Ace and Sabo laughed as they rolled back the windows up and drove away

Luffy kept laughing as Law started to cool down

“They’re so funny!”

“How come they’re in a Tesla?!” asked Law, wanting to divert the subject

Luffy blinked, confused

“Who’s Tesla?”

“No, not who, the car! The car’s a Tesla!”

“Oh! That’s Sabo’s car!” answered Luffy

“Sabo owns a Tesla?!” said Law, completely shocked – one of his buddies online would die if he knew that! The guy always like tinkering away with electronics and shit!

“Uh huh, he got it last week!”

“Huh. Your brothers are dicks though.” stated Law, still not impressed as Luffy laughed loudly at the comment

 

They got to Law’s house as Cora and Bepo were apparently unloading the groceries. Aww shit! He had hoped for a moment alone with Luffy before they split ways!

“Oh! You guys are back!” said Cora, surprised, but his expression soon shifted to one of awkwardness “Ahh..”

“Let me give you a hand, mister Rosisi!” said Luffy as he ran up to the car and took a few bags “Just inside?”

Cora nodded as Bepo led Luffy inside. Law couldn’t help but pout a little

“Ah, shitty timing on my part, sorry Law.” said Cora, scratching the back of his head

“Naw, it’s okay. It’s been like that all day, honestly.” stated Law honestly, a little discouraged

“Is that so…BEPO!” said Cora, shocked at Bepo. Law frowned, he knew that fake-shocked expression!

Bepo blinked, coming back outside “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“We TOTALLY forgot to grab something! Unload the car quick! We gotta go back to the store!”

“Hu-Oh! Really! Oh no! That’s awful! Let’s go!”

They all quickly unloaded the car and drove off. Law couldn’t help but smile when he saw the self-satisfied smirks on Cora and Bepo’s faces

 

“It was nice to see Bepo and mister Rosisi!” said Luffy as he sat on the porch’s steps with Law

“Yeah, they’re really great” said Law, really happy that they did that for him

“Oh! Before I forget!” Luffy took the bag that Usopp gave him and handed it to Law “It’s for you!”

Law blinked, surprised and opened the bag. He couldn’t believe it – it was the coin!

“You looked like you really wanted it, so I asked Usopp to grab it for you! He told me that it was apparently the last one too! How lucky is that!”

Law looked at the coin shocked; he couldn’t believe that Luffy was able to read him that well

“Luffy…thank you…thank you so much”

Luffy turned his head slightly and Law leaned in to share a tender kiss with him, unable to stop smiling

“You really shouldn’t have though”

“But I want to!” replied Luffy with a big smile on his face, and then he dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, he opened it and gave Law four tickets

“Before I forget! It’s for the big Halloween party!”

Law lifted a brow, looking at the tickets confused

“The school’s having a Halloween party? I didn’t hear about this?”

Luffy shook his head

“No, no! The Whitebeard’s always have a massive Halloween party at the mansion! I’m finally allowed to go! But you gotta have a ticket to get in! It’s how Marco limits who gets to go inside or not! So I got some for you and your friends!”

Law nodded, putting the tickets into the bag with the coin

“Thanks, Luffy”

Luffy then stood up and blinked as he saw Cora’s car

“Oh! Mister Rosisi is back! I should probably head home then! Thank you, Torao! I had a great date!”

Law smiled, standing up as well

“Me too, it was…really great”

The two shared another kiss and when they broke apart and Luffy waved at him as he skipped away, only then did Cora turn into the yard and parked the car

“Thank you” said Law as Cora and Bepo stepped out, holding what looked like bags of Chinese takeout

“Pfft, for what? We forgot supper, right, Bepo?”

“Right!”

“You guys suck at this, you know.”

Cora chuckled as they stepped inside, putting his arm around Law’s shoulder and pulling him into a sideways hug

 

“Sooo…how was the date?”

They were now all around the table. The groceries had been put away and they had now started to eat

“It was pretty good. At first kinda annoying because we kept running into Luffy’s friends, but it wind up being really nice in the end.”

Cora nodded, smiling as he listened, eating the rice

“Once again Law, that was a sad retelling and you’re going to need to work on that delivery.” stated Bepo, eating an eggroll

“Hey shut up!” replied Law, making Cora and Bepo laugh

Law blinked, maybe this was the time

“Hey Cora, what’s been eating you? You seem really distracted as of late.”

Cora froze, surprised at the question and sighed

“So…I have good news and bad news.”

“Start with the bad.” said Law, frowning

“The World Government Agents have infiltrated the city to, I presume, execute Roger’s child, which they believe go to your high school.”

Law’s face drained of all of it’s colour.

“W-What?!”

“Isn’t Roger’s child just a myth?” asked Bepo

Cora shook his head

“Nope. There’s overwhelming proof that it’s not. The child just got away.”

Shit! Shit! Shit! Luffy had asked him not to tell anybody!

“Do...How do you know this?” asked Law cautiously

“Because I confronted Sengoku about all the agents here and he wouldn’t tell me why. So it’s the only thing I could deduce because I’m against killing minors.”

Law blinked slowly, trying to regain his cool. Cora lifted a brow, eyeing him

“Are you alright?”

“I…I know some information about this…but I was asked not to tell.”

Cora gasped, dropping his fork

“Wait?! Law?! What kind of info?!”

“I-“

“Do you know who it is?!”

“…”

“Law! Listen to me! I need you to tell me who it is so I can keep them safe!” said Cora, trying to assure Law

“But…Luffy…asked me not to tell anyone.” admitted Law, feeling completely torn

Cora nodded, running a hand through his hair

“Okay…so, I don’t want you breaking that trust, but Law, that person’s in danger. So I won’t ask you to tell me, but…if you can, can you let them know?” asked Cora, smiling softly as he ran his hand through Law’s hair, trying to calm the other down

“Yeah, I’ll let him know.” said Law, as he closed his eyes, but then he snapped them open – SHIT! He used a pronoun!

Cora nodded, pretending clearly to have no heard anything and smiled

“Thank you, Law”

“And the good news?” asked Bepo, still eating away at his supper

“Oh, I skyped with Doffy again”

“And that’s good news how again?” asked Law, completely unimpressed with Cora

“I asked him when he was visiting” started Cora, but Law only saw red and slammed his fist down on the table

“You did WHAT?!”

“Law.” warned Cora, frowning sharply, Law nodded and sat down

“He said that he wasn’t going to any time soon because there was too many government agents sniffing around right now.” finished Cora, making Law frown sharply

“That means he does plan on coming eventually.” stated Law, not exactly relieved

“Eventually. So right now I’m putting it on the backburner and concentrating on Roger’s kid.” admitted Cora, as he took another bite of his food

“He might be lying.” pointed out Law

“He’s never lied to me, Law. I don’t know what he’d gain from lying now” replied Cora, shrugging his shoulders

Law sighed, that was a good point. But still – are they really not going to have any interaction with Doflamingo until this agent thing is solved?

Urgh, but he knew one thing for sure – he needed to talk to Ace.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess we would need an Ace chapter for Law to talk to Ace right?


	39. -ACE- Did You Know Joseph of Austria Had To Explain To Louis XVI How To Nail His Sister? Same Idea, More Dicks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR ADULT RELATIONSHIP AND SEX TALK?
> 
> Well either way, you're getting it! Enjoy! Lots of sex talk and stuff in this chapter! And not all sexy!

 

 

 

 

“ _I can’t believe your parents got you a Tesla_.”

Sabo chuckled as he kept driving through Goa. Ace was still in awe at how hardcore this car was. Koala was in the back, reading through her notes as they were driving her to an exam that afternoon.

“Well, they insisted I had a car, and I figured it they were going to waste money anyways, might as well get a technologically advanced one that’s good for the environment~!” said Sabo with a huge grin on his face

“How bad are you itching to take this car apart?” teased Ace, making Sabo laugh

“You have no idea!”

Then the conversation in the car grew quiet for a bit before Sabo spoke again

“Sooo…have you and Chase done anything yet?”

Ace blinked slowly at the question, not sure what to answer. 

“Well…we made out and stuff, and shared the bed that one time, but I told you about that?” pointed out Ace, rather confused about the line of questioning

 

It had been a rather busy week for him, especially with having to explain to an enraged Izo in secret that he and Smoker had been secretly dating for nearly a month now. At first Izo had been really insulted, but afterwards, he understood. Saying that Ace and the Captain could have private dates at Foxfire’s any time they wanted. And he also promised that he’d keep the whole affair a secret from Marco. But Izo had also warned Ace that when Marco does find out – he was going to be absolutely furious, and to be ready for that.

“That’s it? You were ready to hump his leg before you started dating” said Koala from the back, shocked

“W-We’re taking things slow! That’s all!” said Ace, flushed

“Are you though? Or is he _making you_ take it slow?” asked Sabo, raising a brow

Ace sighed

“It’s…I don’t know. He’s really busy, I’m really busy, so it’s not like we see each other that much. And when I tried to instigate something, he stopped me, saying he was too tired. Which was actually the case, considering he had just worked a double shift.” explained Ace, closing his eyes

“Are you _actually_ trying though?” asked Koala, leaning in between the seats

“What do you mean?”

Damn it, did she figure it out?

“Are you self-sabotaging this because you’re nervous? It’s going to be your first time and probably not his.” pointed out Koala

Ace bit his lip, his face becoming a dark red. She had hit the nail right on the head!

“…Maybe…but…it’s because…he’s…ah.”

Sabo’s expression dropped as he looked briefly at Ace stunned

“Oh no, Ace, _is he big_?”

Ace nodded, still red

“….Yeah, I ah, he had morning wood that one morning and we were spooning and ah…yeah.”

“Aww Ace, it’s okay! You should practice then! Get yourself a nice dildo around his size and get used to being penetrated!” suggested Koala with a big smile on her face

“ _Not that it doesn’t sound like a great idea_ , but I don’t exactly have privacy at home.”

_He wish he did though_

“That’s true. But honestly Ace, this is something you should talk to Chase about! Does he know that you’ve never done this before?”

“…No”

“ _Ace_!” cried out Sabo and Koala simultaneously

“Ace! He needs to know that to be careful! Otherwise he might hurt you accidentally!” lectured Koala, not impressed

“You two need to talk about this! Ace! You’re going to talk to him about this, _right_?” asked Sabo, frowning

Ace hated that look. That look meant ‘ _you’re doing it or I’ll beat your ass’_

“Fine, fine, I’ll tell him”

“Good! Seriously Ace –“

 

Ace sighed, looking out the window

Oh great, now Sabo was going to lecture him now – _What’s this_?!

“OH MAN! Slow down the car, Sabo and roll down the windows!”

 Sabo blinked, rolling down the windows and saw what Ace was looking at. There was Luffy and Law, walking down the street, holding hands, clearly on their date

“Oh my god, guys, you’re not really going to annoy them, are you?” asked Koala, rolling her eyes

“Oh course we are! It’s our duty!” said Sabo

Ace yelled first and then they both started to whistle at the couple. Luffy laughed but Law looked humiliated but never let go of Luffy’s hand, which made Ace happy

“Will you two fuck off?!” snapped Law finally, making Sabo and Ace laugh as they rolled up the windows and drove away

 

“And then he told us to fuck off and we drove away!” said Ace, retelling the story to Smoker who was half-listening as he read the paper. Sabo had dropped him off at the Captain’s house. Even though they only had about two hours together before Smoker had to go back on duty, Ace was going to appreciate every second of it. And honestly, laying on the couch like this, with his legs on Smoker’s lap while Justice was sprawled over him was kinda nice

But then Sabo and Koala’s words rang through his ears

When was the best time to have this kind of talk?

Ace watched Smoker carefully as he read his paper while drinking coffee and smoking a cigar. Was this something he could just bring up? Should he plan for it? Over a dinner? Or while they were making out, even though it would ruin the mood?

“ _Out with it, brat_.”

Ace blinked, surprised at being called ‘brat’, Smoker only did that when he was annoyed with him

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You look like you want to ask me something and it’s getting annoying since you’re just staring at me and you’re not saying it!” snapped Smoker, putting down the paper

Ace blinked again, he forgot how well his boyfriend could read emotions.

“Oh…well…I was…I was wondering.”

And now he’s all read

“Yes?”

“How come…you…we…haven’t…you know…”

“I’m going to assume you’re talking about sex.” said Smoker, sighing

“Uh yeah, that. It’s not me, is it? You turned me down that time I tried…so I was …a little worried.” admitted Ace, completely embarrassed

Smoker shook his head, exhaling as he took the cigar out of his mouth

“It’s not you, Ace. It’s because we hadn’t had a chance to talk about it and we didn’t have time that morning either when you tried.”

“Talk about it?” asked Ace curiously

“Of course we have to talk about it! When’s the last time you got checked out?” asked Smoker, frowning as he gestured to Ace

Ace frowned slightly, _what was he talking about?_

“What do you mean?”

“When’s the last time you got a full STD panel done?”

“Oh! Never!”

Clearly that was the wrong answer from the expression on Smoker’s face

“You’ve _never_ done one?! I can tell you right fucking now that we’re not doing shit until you do”

Ace looked at Smoker surprised – oh! He’s misunderstanding!

“No-! It’s because I don’t need one!”

“Don’t need one?! The only reason you wouldn’t need one is because you’ve ne-“

Smoker stopped suddenly as he noticed the sheepish, embarrassed look on Ace’s face

“Honestly?” asked Smoker, looking a little surprised

Ace nodded

“Yeah…I hope it’s not a problem.”

Smoker shook his head, taking another drag of his cigar. Ace didn’t miss how he licked his lips a little before he did

“No…not a problem per say. But it’s something I needed to know. Especially with our age difference and experience difference. There’s no reason to rush into this. We’ll work up to it eventually.” said Smoker, picking up the paper and continued where he left off

Ace smiled softly, laying back down and started to run his fingers through Justice’s fur

“Yeah, I’m excited.” said Ace in a soft, low voice as he kept petting Justice

Smoker watched the two of them carefully from the corner of his eyes and sighed

“How is someone who looks like you, has never had sex?”

Ace chuckled softly

“Didn’t like anyone enough before you to want to.” admitted Ace honestly

Smoker paused for a moment, before leaning in to deeply kiss Ace, who instantly ran his fingers through Smoker’s hair, pulling him in closer to deepen the kiss

 

They had made out for a little while before Smoker had to head back to the station. He had driven Ace back home where Sabo had been waiting for Ace. But Sabo had been wise enough to drop off the car first

Smoker and Ace had exchanged a chaste kiss before Smoker drove off. Sabo had taken the moment to catcall them both.

Alright, Ace probably deserved that

When they broke apart, they started to walk through the forests, pipes in hand

“I can’t believe someone is living in that house.” said Sabo, sighing loudly as they trekked through the forest

Ace shrugged, a big smirk on his face

“Guess we’ll just have to show them why they shouldn’t live in our territory, shall we?”

 

They quickly got to the old decrepit house that used to be there and starred at it in utter shock – it had been completely renovated!

Someone had redone the whole foundation and rebuilt the entire house – it was now gorgeous! There seemed to be a huge pool in the back, a lush garden and a massive building in the back that from the distance looked like a workshop

The odd thing about though was the entirely surrounded by this beautifully crafted metal fence, that had a flower design but also glass had been put behind the fence, giving it a purple hue.

Ace frowned, jumping down from the tree he and Sabo had climbed for a better look and walking up to the fence and tapping slightly on the glass

“This is bulletproof glass!”

“Who the hell?” asked Sabo, looking around shocked as he also jumped down from the tree

 “Whoever it is, they want to be protected – look! There’s security cams and everything!” said Ace, pointing towards the small discreet camera in a bird cage

“Shit, it’s going to be hard as hell to-“

“Sabo? Ace? What are you two doing here?”

Both Ace and Sabo turned around to see none other than Robin at the opening of the fence, looking at the two of them confused

“…You live here?” asked Sabo, surprised

Robin nodded, smiling slightly, looking rather cute with her hair pulled back, glasses and an oversized stripped sweater

“Yes, Franky and I bought this place late spring.”

“This…was an ugly shack.” stated Ace, still in shock over the current appearance of the house

“Ah, yes. Franky went to town on it this summer. It was his own personal pet project; he’s very good at building things. I helped as much as I could.” admitted Robin, chuckling slightly

“Huh.” said Ace, still looking around

“Is this your territory?” asked Robin casually, making both Ace and Sabo jump

“W-What?”

“When we bought the house, we were well warned that this house was not-livable because it was in the territory of ‘Devils of the Corvo District.’ And now here you are carrying metal pipes, so I can only assume that you came to chase us out.” pointed out Robin, crossing her arms as she kept smiling

Ace shook his head

“No. Well, yes. We had every intention of kicking you out, but if it’s you and Franky living here, you’re welcomed to stay” said Ace, smiling

“Oh, that’s lovely news, I was afraid we’d have to fight.” said Robin, smiling softly. Ace felt a chill run up his spine at the smile

“Did someone say something about a fight?” said Franky as he showed up at the gate and Sabo and Ace both looked at him surprised

“Oh wow, is that the Bebionic3 hand?!” asked Sabo, almost gushing

Franky laughed, holding up the robotic hand – Whoah! Ace didn’t know that Franky had an artificial hand!

“Sure is! Isn’t is super?! Well it’s not the official one, since I made this one!” admitted Franky, laughing

“Franky likes to work on his tune ups on Saturdays” explained Robin, smiling

“Ahh! You built that?! That’s amazing!” gushed openly Sabo, making Ace chuckle

“If you guys ever want to tune up anything you’ve built – and I mean _anything_ ” said Franky, looking straight at Ace, surprising him “Let me know! It’ll be super!”

Before Ace could answer, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket

“Yeah! That’s be great!” said Sabo as Ace grabbed his phone and looked at it

“First thing is upgrading that phone, dude.” said Franky, pointing to Ace’s flip phone “That thing is embarrassing.”

“Huh…Law wants to meet with me, he said it’s urgent and we need to meet somewhere private.”

“Well, I need to get to the café for my shift, why don’t you meet there and use the private room to talk?” suggested Sabo, putting the metal pipe on his shoulder

“Oh yeah, I’ll shoot him the address” mumbled Ace, sending the quick text to Law and then he paused – how come Law had his number?

_Urgh, Luffy_.

“How come you guys have pipes? Were you coming to beat us up?” asked Franky, laughing

Sabo and Ace just looked at Franky sheepishly, making Franky laugh harder

“No way! You two are the Devils of Corvo district?! We were warned that you guys would come around!”

Ace shrugged his shoulders, grinning

“And we did!”

“Feel free to drop by to visit anytime, but next time, leave the pipes at home” stated Robin, making Ace grin

“Aye aye!”

 

“My, aren’t you popular today, Ace?”

Ace frowned sharply at Sabo, getting annoyed.  He was getting tired and hungry and Ace knew that Law probably didn’t have any good news for him.

“Shaddap, I have homework to do and here I am meeting Law. I haven’t even had supper yet!” said Ace, frustrated

“Who would have thought that Ace would be such a keener for school” teased Hack from behind the counter, giving Ace a small pastry on a plate

“Oye, I am very school-worthy!” said Ace, pouting as he tore through the pastry

Law soon came into the café, looking around confused. But clearly by the look on his face, he was really liking the vibe of the shop

“Yo, over here.” said Ace, waving his hand as he swallowed the rest of the pastry

Law walked up to Ace, looking around

“Is there any where…private we can go?”

“Let me open the door for you guys” says Sabo, walking past them. Ace signaled to Law to follow them

Sabo opened the door and led them through it

“Ace, if you need me-“ said Sabo, frowning slightly

Ace nodded, smiling and giving Sabo the okay

 

Law and Ace made their way down the stairs into the room. Law looked around, trying to make sense of the room. Ace chuckled softly

“It’s the Revolutionary Army’s base.” explained Ace, plopping down on the couch “So what do you want, Law?”

“You’re in danger.” said Law, frowning

“Uh…be a little more specific than that please?” asked Ace, lifting a brow

Ace had started enough shit to know that enough people want him gone

“Luffy told me. You know, who your dad is.”

Ace’s eyes widen as he looked at Law, completely pissed off as he stood up, grabbing the front of Law’s sweater and lifted him up, turned around and slammed him against the wall, making Law groan as his hands grabbed at Ace’s wrist

“The fuck are you talking about, Trafalgar? _You threatening me_?”

“No!” said Law “Luffy just blabbed it out and told me to keep it a secret, but Cora told me that the World Government was after Roger’s kid and I wanted to warn you to be careful!”

Ace glared at Law for a moment and then let him go, Law barely landed on his feet, stumbling a little

“I knew that. I was informed by Marco, since Izo found out at the dinner.” said Ace sternly, but then he smiled slightly

“Thanks for letting me know though.”

“Did Marco tell you about the cops thing?”

Ace stared at Law, not sure what to make of that last comment

“No.”

“Basically” started Law, straightening out his shirt “Cora’s aware that they’re looking for Roger’s kid. We talked about it more after supper and he wanted me to inform the ‘child’ that him and the Captain are aware of it and are trying to prevent it – so it might be a wise choice for you to tell your _boyfriend_ who you actually are!”

Ace froze slightly before frowning again

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m not dating anyone.” replied Ace nonchalantly

“Luffy told me that you’re dating the Captain in secret”

“ _Oh my god_! Is there even a point of telling him any secret?!” yelled out Ace, frustrated as he stomped his foot “I’m going to beat his ass!”

“Hey, it worked out in this situation. But honestly, tell Captain Smoker it’s you. They want to protect you but they can’t do it if they have no idea it’s you, and you’re dating him, so it’s perfect. ” reasoned Law

Ace frowned sharply, glaring at Law

“ _Perfect_?! Do you have any fucking idea what it’s like being the son of that man?!” screamed Ace, seeing red

_How dare this smart mouth sass piece of shit tell him how to lead his life_!

 

“Ace?! What’s wrong!” said Sabo as he ran down the stairs

Law instantly straightened up, frowning sharply

“I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but I said my piece. I’m going to go.” stated Law as he walked past a confused Sabo who then quickly grabbed his arm and gripped it tight, making Law wince

“It’s fine, Sabo. Let him go.” said Ace, breathing in an out to try and control his anger

Sabo let Law go, who whipped his arm back and rubbed it as he walked out of the room.

Sabo quietly went down the stairs and walked up to Ace, putting a hand on his shoulder

“What happened?”

“The cops know that the World Government is looking for me. But they don’t know it’s me, he does though, because Luffy _freaking told him_ , and he’s telling me how _it’s perfect_ , because I should just tell Chase because he’s already dating me so isn’t _it SO PERFECT_!” yelled Ace, the anger overwhelming him again

“Ace.” said Sabo quietly, putting his hand on Ace’s shoulder

“ _I can’t tell him, Sabo!”_ yelled Ace, panicking as he started to shake and his breathing got harsher “I can’t, I can’t I can’t!”

“Ace!” said Sabo again, giving Ace a hug “You don’t have to, Ace, nobody is making you.”

He wanted to tell the Captain!

_He really did_! But – the risks were too great!

“What…What if he hates me after? What if, he doesn’t want me around anymore?” whined Ace, tears welling in his eyes. He didn’t realise how bad this was getting to him

Sabo’s expression softened even more as he smiled gently

“You really like him a lot, huh?”

Ace nodded, wiping the tears out his eyes quickly as he broke out of the hug, suddenly really embarrassed

“You’ll have to tell him eventually, Ace. But you can also wait until your 18th birthday when you’re not in danger anymore.” suggested Sabo calmly as he rubbed Ace’s back

“Yeah…I guess.”

“Nobody’s making you do this, Ace.” reaffirmed Sabo, but Ace shook his head

“I think I’m going to have to. I just hope he doesn’t hate me at the end of all of this.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to plot and back to the police station next week! See you all then!


	40. -CORA – Buddy Cops Sequels Are The Best, Right? (Where’s the Bon Cop Bad Cop Sequel?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the police station!

 

 

 

Cora looked at the leaves falling from the trees and couldn’t get over how it was already October

The Captain had scheduled a special meeting today to discuss the whole Roger’s kid thing and said that he had specially picked people to be in the squad that’s going to be handling the file.

Cora had been musing it over and over again, trying to piece together everything but he felt like he was missing an important clue. It was infuriating though that he knew that Law knew, but Law wasn’t budging on the topic and Cora didn’t want to push. This early in the relationship, trust was everything. And Law had sworn up and down that he had warned Roger’s son that he was in danger, but he also had a very sour look on his face when he came back home that night.

Cora could only imagine that the whole conversation didn’t go well at all.

But due to Law’s mess up, he knew at least it was a boy.

Cora walked into the police precinct and was surprised to see only Wiper working at the desk; he blinked slowly, walking up to the other

“How come you’re alone?”

Wiper gestured behind him with his thumb

“Big meeting in the Captain’s office, they’re waiting for you.” said Wiper as he kept typing away

"Aww crap!!"

 

Cora quickly made his way to the office, swinging the door open and going right into the room and running into the door frame in the process

“OW!”

“Good for you to join us, Trafalgar.” muttered Smoker, looking over the files in his hands

Cora laughed embarrassed; of course he had to make an ass out of himself

“I thought the meeting was only at 9?” asked Cora, stunned that he was apparently late – it was only 8:45!

“It is, you’re fine, take a seat.” said Smoker, passing out the files to everyone as they sat down. Cora looked around the room. There was Bellemere and Tashigi there with them, good to know that they had agreed to do this!

“Wiper’s not coming?” asked Cora

Smoker shook his head

“No. Wiper’s already working on a special case right now and I want his full attention on it.” admitted Smoker

“So,” started Smoker, as everyone opened the files “We have reason to believe that the World Government infiltrated Goa to capture and execute the so-called child of Roger. So I’ve gathered here a list of all the possible suspects for this endeavour. Unfortunately, Goa is riddled with orphans, so the list is the size of a phonebook. But, the World Government is suspecting someone going to Grand Line High, so the list in front of you is only students going there who are also registered orphans.”

“Hey, how come my daughters are on this list?” asked Bellemere, defensive

“Because I haven’t had the chance to ask you about them to check them off the list.” said Smoker, barely reacting to her defensiveness

“Oh. Well, they’re not. I…I saw their parent’s bodies when I took them in.” admitted Bellemere, frowning, clearly this wasn’t a great memory for her

“Good. We’ll scratch them off the list. Hina also said she’ll try to look into it, but she has to remain discreet about it otherwise it could mean serious trouble for her. This has always been a high priority issue and they’re gonna be pissed if they know one of their own is snooping around.” explained Smoker

“You can remove all the girls, actually.” said Cora bluntly as his eyes scanned the list – of course Law and Bepo were on it.

Everyone in the room looked at Cora surprised

“And why’s that, Trafalgar?” asked Smoker, eyes narrowing

“Law said it was a boy.”

Smoker’s eyes widen as his scowl got deeper

“Do you have fucking intel you’re not telling me?!”

“Law knows who it is. He said that Luffy told him, and I asked Law to go tell the child. He accidentally used a pronoun, it’s a boy.”

“Couldn’t you ask Law who it is?” asked Tashigi gently, but Cora shook his head

“No, it was told to him in confidence and he doesn’t want to break his trust since the relationship is so new.” explained Cora, seeing Smoker getting madder

“ _So he’s gonna risk this kid’s life because he wants to keep the peace in his relationship_?!” barked Smoker, outraged

Cora shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to piss the man off even more but knew he had nothing to say that would be constructive in any way right now

“Wait…Luffy knows? Why would Luffy know such delicate information?” pointed out Bellemere, surprised

“I assumed the son of Roger knows him and probably told him in confidence.”

“Can’t get out of Law how the conversation came to be, huh?” asked Bellemere, sighing

Cora shook his head

“He’s being completely tight lidded about this.”

“Huh, I wonder who it is if he’s close to Luffy…Clearly it’s someone Luffy must really care about to ask Law to keep it a secret, since he must know the dangers of this being revealed. Or this person is someone who could beat up Luffy if they found out that he spilled the beans. It’s pretty limited on who can do that!” mused Bellemere

Cora eyes widen as it all came together

_Holy shit_!

“Hey…you wouldn’t happen to have a picture of Roger would you? One when he was younger, like when he just started out.” asked Cora, Smoker lifted a brow and quickly pulled one up on his monitor and flipped it around, showing it to Cora

The minute he saw the picture – it all came together

_It was Ace_

Ace and Luffy were both orphans, Luffy are Garp’s grandson and his father is Dragon. How does Ace fit into this?

The lead agent in the case to stop Roger was Garp. So Garp would have known that Roger was expecting a kid. Garp’s a decent man, for sure that he would have taken in the child if asked. Garp had a code put into place to protect Ace, he had one for Luffy, but the one about Ace seemed much aggressive.

And now looking at Roger’s photo, the resemblance was clearly there

_Ace was Roger’s son_!

“Do you think…that Garp would also help us? He was the lead agent on the case to stop Roger.” suggested Cora quietly

Smoker blinked, raising a brow

“Are you mad? Garp and Sengoku are extremely close friends; we can’t give them any reason to think we’re looking into this. If anything, Garp is helping Sengoku out! Which is probably why he visited with him!” replied Smoker

Cora nodded his head, muddling this over. This must be extremely hard for Garp right now if that’s the case.

_Garp probably came down to check on Ace if anything_!

“Alright, so you all have your assignments so get on the floor and keep this on the down low. We’ll be getting some new rookies in soon, and I don’t want a damn one of them to suspect anything, understood? So far I don’t suspect anybody planted by the World Government, but doesn’t mean that’s always going to be the case, discretion is key.”

Everyone nodded and stood up but Cora

 

“Can I speak to you, Captain?”

Smoker nodded, sitting back down as Bellemere and Tashigi carefully left the room, closing the door behind him

“Are you going to defend your crappy choice of not confronting your son for the intel we need?” asked Smoker, clearly not impressed

“No…It’s…I don’t think I need the intel. But first, I want to discuss something with you.” admitted Cora, not quite sure how he was going to go about this

“Well out with it – I don’t have all day!”

“I know you’re dating Ace.”

Smoker was silent for a moment as he frowned, and then he sighed, leaning back in his chair

“And?”

“And…I think you should know that…do you happen to have a picture of Ace?”

Smoker once again just glared at Cora silently before pulling out his phone and unlocking it. Cora couldn’t help but smile when he noticed that his lockscreen was a picture of a gorgeous German Sheppard, that Cora could only assume was Justice, and the homescreen was a picture of Ace with Justice sleeping on top of him as they both napped on the couch. Smoker opened up the picture alone and handed the phone over to Cora

“You better have a good reason to ask for this.” warned Smoker, clearly not comfortable with showing so much of his private life

“I do” said Cora as he zoomed in on Ace’s face and held it up to the picture of Roger in his youth and basically confirmed what he had suspected

“ _Do you see it now_?”

Smoker frowned sharply, standing up as he looked at the screen shocked

“You’re not seriously insinuating-?!”

“I am. Think about it. He’s an orphan; he’s being raised in an oddly secluded place. He’s Garp’s grandson but he’s not Dragon’s son”

“How do you know that?”

“Because Luffy said that his father was Dragon, not his and Ace’s.” explained Cora, trying to muddle everything together “Law told me that that Ace and Luffy had different father’s as well! And that Ace apparently got mad when his father was brought up! Look, Captain, it makes sense! Ace is just the right age as well!”

“You’re insane!” barked Smoker

“Just think about it! He’s the right age, he looks like Roger; Garp is for some reason taking care of him even though he genetically has no obligations to! Also Garp has that insane code up for Ace!”

“He also has one for Luffy.” pointed out Smoker

“Smoker. C’mon. This makes sense. Ace is probably Roger’s son. You wouldn’t happen to know the name of Roger’s lover would you?”

Smoker was silent for a moment, eyes narrowing

“ _Rouge_.”

“Next time you see Ace, ask him what his mother’s name is. We’ve already established that Roger’s son _knows_ he’s Roger’s son, so he probably knows his mother’s name!” stated Cora, sitting up straight – he wasn’t backing down on this, it was a solid theory.

Smoker sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair

“You’re going to need to face the possibility. I understand this is hard because of your relationship with him but –“started Cora, but was soon cut off

“Stop. Talking.”

Cora blinked, surprised. He was expecting Smoker to be angry, absolutely furious, but instead, his face was kinda…flushed?

“So…what are you going to do is he is Roger’s son?”

Smoker paused for a moment, opening his drawer and pulled out a cigar sticking it into his mouth. Cora blinked, surprised – was he going to smoke in his office again?

Yep. Yes, he was

“If that’s the case…I have something important to discuss with him. Trafalgar, you’re excused, I have an important phone call to make.” said Smoker, looking rather distracted as he took out an old, worn piece of paper from his desk and picked up his cell phone from the desk, where Cora had set it down. He looked up and saw that Cora hadn’t really moved yet

“ _You can go_.”

Cora stood up, not sure how to process any of this and left the office. He frowned sharply, wondering if he had opened one nasty can of worms, but before he closed the door, he distinctively heard Smoker say

“– We need to talk.”

 

“What did you say to him?” asked Bellemere as Cora walked out, looking slightly distraught

“I…I think I figured out who it is.” admitted Cora, making both Tashigi and Bellemere stand up, shocked

“What?!”

“But…the Captain is going to look more into it before we say anything.” fibbed Cora, not wanting to explain a third time his theory until Smoker spoke to Ace

Tashigi and Bellemere nodded, sitting back down

“Is he going to be safe?” asked Tashigi, clearly worried for the boy she had never met

And then something else sunk in – Ace was part of the Whitebeard’s. Chances are that Edward knew and was purposely keeping him safe. Ace was usually with someone else – if it wasn’t the Whitebeard’s; he was with his family or with the Captain. No matter what – Ace was always surrounded by someone. So at least he wasn’t isolated.

“Yeah, he’s going to be perfectly safe.” said Cora, a little relieved himself

“Good! That makes me feel much better!” said Tashigi with a big smile on her face

“Haha, same here, honestly” admitted Cora, but he still had reservations.

“Oh! Tashigi! Can you do me a favor?” asked Cora

Tashigi nodded, with a big smile on her face

“Of course!”

“Law’s birthday is on the 6th, and I wanted to get him a really good present and he’s interested in owning a nodachi and I was wondering if you could help him pick one ou-“

“YES!” said Tashigi enthusiastically “My shift ends at 6pm, if you want, we could go tonight! I know the perfect place! I saw an absolutely gorgeous one and I’m sure Law will love it!”

Cora laughed at Tashigi’s enthusiasm and smiled brightly

“I’ll shoot Law a text and ask him if he’s willing to go shopping for one tonight! Thank you so much!”

“No thank you! This is so exciting!” exclaimed Tashigi, clapping her hands together

“His birthday? How old is Law going to be?” asked Bellemere “Are you going to throw him a party?”

Cora shook his head

“He’s going to be 16! And he didn’t want a party, he just wanted to have his small group of friends over to play video games and eat junk food. So that’s what he’s getting” explained Cora

“Is he not having Luffy over? They’re dating now, right? That’s what Nami told me”

“Oh! They have a date planned during the weekend to celebrate his birthday during the weekend. Law likes spending time alone with Luffy.” Cora had hoped that Bellemere wouldn’t be insulted at the slight insinuation that Law wasn’t the biggest fan of Luffy’s group of friends. Like, he liked them, but he didn’t want to spend all of his time with them

Bellemere only laughed

“Nami told me about the whole first date fiasco. Man, Luffy cannot take a hint!”

Cora chuckled softly

“He means well though.”

 

The Captain came out of the office, putting on his coat, Tashigi blinked, surprised

“You’re going somewhere?”

“Yeah. Taking my lunch break early, I need to go meet up with someone.” muttered Smoker, storming past the group and quickly leaving the station

“Did…Did he have…two cigars in his mouth?” asked Cora, shocked

Tashigi frowned

“Yeah...He only does that when he’s really stressed. You should have seen him when him and his long-time partner broke up years ago. Nobody could get him to stop smoking so much.” admitted Tashigi, looking worried

Cora gulped loudly, looking towards the door horrified

He might have royally fucked up things for Ace!

_SHIT!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! There WILL be an update next Sunday! It just might come in a weeee bit early on Sunday morning~!


	41. -LAW- When Life Is Good And You’re Waiting The Other Shoe To Drop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law is just trying to get through the day and things are just so good
> 
> But - Will it last?
> 
> I WAS gonna wait for midnight but NAW, MERRY CHRISTMAS (or whatever you celebrate!)

 

 

 

“Wow Law! That thing is so gorgeous!”

Law couldn’t help but smirk at the compliment for his new sword – it _was_ gorgeous!

He still couldn’t believe that Cora had called him the other night and asked him if he wanted to go shopping for a sword! But there she was – his beautiful nodachi; Kikoku!

Tashigi, very enthusiastically, had told him the entire history of the sword and was rather shocked to see it in the shop. She told him that it was a cursed sword though and didn’t really recommend it – but Law took it as a challenge. Something about her spoke to him and he never wanted to part from her again.

“C’mon you two, you’re going to be late for school! I know you’re probably still tired from last night, but we have to get going.” said Cora from the doorway as he finished buttoning up his shirt

Law sighed, Cora missed one again

Law walked up to Cora, unbuttoning the shirt completely and pointed to the undone one and started to button Cora’s shirt back up

“Thank you…again, for Kikoku.” mumbled Law as he buttoned up Cora’s shirt

Cora smiled softly, petting Law’s head gently

“I know this was important to you. So I didn’t mind!”

Law smiled softly, he was happy that Cora took his fears and concerns seriously like that but then he frowned

“I wish I could bring it to school.”

“That’s a big hell no, Law!”

 

“Is Marco’s locker still decorated?! His birthday was like, two days ago” said Law, rolling his eyes as the insanely decorated locker.

Marco status around the school was legendary and apparently nobody held back from kissing his ass in fear of being on Marco’s bad side. The Whitebeard’s though had smashed Marco’s face in his birthday cake, well, Ace specifically, and had a blast celebrating Marco’s birthday at school. Apparently they even threw a private party for him that night – but from what he heard around school, the Whitebeards took any chance they got to party. Hence why the Halloween party tickets he got from Luffy were apparently invaluable. He heard people begging and offering a considerable sum of money to get their hands on them.

Law needed to start thinking of a costume or something.

“Did you have a good birthday, Law?”

Law blinked and spotted Nami that was right beside him. But he was instantly startled by the weird look she had on her face

“You know Law, you’re a very good looking man, you know that?”

Okay this was getting weird

“Uh…sure?”

“And Luffy has this wonderful, charming boyish look to him! It’s so hard not be enamoured by him, right?”

“…where are you going with this?” asked Law, backing up slightly from his locker

“Weeeelll, you see, there’s this contest and-“

“Nami! Are you trying to convince Law to do it?” asked Vivi as Luffy and his group approached them

“Torao!” yelled out Luffy, throwing himself in Law’s arms. Law had gotten used to it and instantly caught Luffy, the two quickly sharing a tender kiss

“What contest?” asked Law, wanting to know what the hell was up with Nami

Nami smirked, pulling out what seems to be a flyer or something and handed it to Law

“There’s a couple’s photo contest going around! And the winner gets 5 grand and the photo is going to be published everywhere as a marketing campaign for Valentine’s Day!  And it says here that if a couple is diverse and such, their chances are better! So we were thinking you and Luffy!”

Law scoffed, handing Nami back the flyer as if it was a disgusting thing. Not only did he not like being photographed, there was a big legal issue in the way

“Hard pass. I’m under the witness protection program, I can’t be posting my picture everywhere.” stated Law, making Nami snap her fingers, disappointed

“Damnit! Me and Vivi can’t because she’s a princess from another country so she’s not a legal citizen. Usopp and Kaya are a straight couple, so that’s not really diverse, minus the whole racial diversity thing, but Vivi and I had that and so did you and Luffy. Damnit, we need someone else then.” contemplated Nami as Usopp and Chopped tried to think with Nami

“Do you guys…need money or something?” asked Law nervously as Luffy remained in his arms, softly nuzzling his chest, making Law’s stomach feel funny

“Yes! Because we’re thinking of all going skiing over the Christmas break so it would be great if we didn’t have to pay a cent for it!” explained Nami, with a huge grin on her face but then her grin fell

“We just need a couple…”

“You stupid moss-head! I told you that was the wrong turn! Why don’t you ever listen to me for once in your goddamn life?!”

“Shut up, Curly! How about next time I drop your ass on the pavement and you don’t get a ride to school!”

“I can’t believe they let and idiot like you drive anyways! What kind of dipshit gave you a license?!”

Nami’s face went from despair to cunning in a matter of seconds, slightly terrifying Law as she skipped towards Zoro and Sanji who were just coming in

“Oooh boys! I have a job for you two!”

Sanji instantly stopped fighting and swooned over Nami, walking up to her, hands clasped together as he smiled brightly

“Anything for you, my sweet dear Nami!”

“What?”

“There’s a couple photo contest and you two will be doing it” stated Nami, pointing to the pair

“Huh?!” said both Zoro and Sanji as Nami handed the file over to Sanji to read over

“Five grand, huh?” muttered Sanji as he looked it over

“So…you want us to take a picture or something?” asked Zoro, barely gazing at the file

“Yep! We’ll put you two in a cool pose and send the picture over! And if you don’t win, _I’ll kill you_.”

Yep, Nami’s scary

“Anything you want, miss Nami!” said Sanji with a big smile on his face

“Good! Let’s try to think up of ideas!” said Nami, now beaming

“I…I have to get going.” said Law, he needed to ask someone something and it just dawned upon him

“Okay, bye Torao!” said Luffy as Law bowed out, this was going to be interesting

 

“Are you still pissed at me, or can I ask you something?”

Law tensed slightly as Ace turned around, glaring at Law, frowning sharply. Izo blinked, besides Ace, surprised at the sudden change of mood in his friend

“ _What_ ”

“Where do you guys get your tattoos done?” asked Law, pretending to not be fazed by Ace’s mood

Ace blinked, his mood instantly shifting to a more pleasant one

“Oh – Marco does all of our tattoos. My arm one though was done by a random scratcher and Izo got his done in Japan.” explained Ace, Izo chuckled softly

“The major ones anyways. But the Whitebeard symbol was done by Marco.”

“So they’re scratchers?” asked Law a little disappointed, but Ace shook his head

“Don’t ever call Marco’s tattoos ‘scratchers’, he’ll rip you bald.” warned Ace

“Who the fuck is calling my tattoos ‘scratchers’?!” asked Marco, walked up to the trio

“Nobody. Law’s just asking where we got our stuff done.” explained Ace, gesturing towards Law with his thumb

“My tattoos aren’t scratchers. I have a full studio in the Whitebeard mansion and I’m licensed.” added Marco, smirking proudly

“Why you asking? You want to get work done?” asked Ace, looking at Law

Law nodded curtly

Marco shifted; reaching into the blazer he was wearing today and pulled out a small card holder. He opened it and handed over to Law a card, who took it

“Email me what you want and we can work out a price and time and stuff. Because you’re under 18 though, I’m going to need your legal guardian’s signature.” said Marco, pointing at the card that Law was looking over

“That’s awfully law-abiding citizen of you” pointed out Law, raising a brow at Marco

“My tattoo practice is legal” said Marco, grinning “I also did all of Nojiko’s, so if you want to see more of my work that isn’t just Pop’s symbol. Also I have a bunch of things on the website that’s listed on the card.”

“Uh…Luffy got me tickets to the Halloween party…do you think I could check out the studio then?” asked Law carefully, not sure how to approach this

“Of course, just catch me a moment I’m not busy.”

“Hey hey hey! My party is for _partying_! Not business!” interjected Ace, pouting

Marco rolled his eyes

“Oh relax Ace, it’s always business. We’ll have a few of the guys roaming the party and dealing all night, you know that”

“But they’re there to party!” replied Ace, frowning more. Law didn’t think there would be a day where he would find Ace _cute_ but here it was

“ _Ace_.” warned Marco, clearly not impressed with Ace’s puppy dog look “By the way, Vista texted me saying the cages arrived this morning and he wanted to let me know that he’s personally creeped out that you ordered caged for the party.”

Ace instantly perked up at the mention of the cages

“The theme is ‘ _Monster Mash’_! There _needs_ to be cages!” defended Ace

“I don’t think he expected go-go dancers cages though” pointed out Thatch as he walked up with two small pastries in bags and handed one over to a surprised Izo who gladly took it

“I want to dance in peace!” stated Ace, pouting again “And those cages are cool!”

“Why am I letting you plan this party again?” asked Marco dejected, but then he turned to Law

“Email me what you’re interested in getting and I’ll get back to you, okay?”

Law nodded, slowly bowing out as Ace continued to defend his apparently wild choices

 

Law quickly got to class and sat down in his seat. He frowned, still confused about something

“Oye, Sanji.”

Sanji blinked, looking over from whatever he was working on and looked at Law, surprised

“Yes?”

“I think out of everyone, you might know this better. I was with Ace and the others a second ago, and Ace said he needed a cage to dance in peace? What’s that about?”

Sanji chuckled softly

“It’s because Ace likes to dance a lot and people like to rub up against him and he hates it. So that’s probably why he made that comment.”

Law blinked, once again surprised. For a man that oozes sex and sexuality, he doesn’t seem very fond of anyone trying anything with him.

“Huh. You wouldn’t think so with Ace” commented Law, hoping that Sanji catches the bait

Sanji shook his head

“A lot of people have presumptions about Ace, but truth be told, he’s rather guarded as an individual. For as long as I’ve known him, through Luffy that is, Ace has never dated anyone or really has been seen hooking up with anyone aside from making out with Marco at parties.”

“With Marco?!”

Sanji chuckled again, but this time, Law sensed a tinge of nervousness

“Ace is a notorious kisser when he’s drunk. At this one party, he literally kissed everyone that was there until Marco caught him. But it’s harmless.”

“Why are you guys talking about Ace kissing?”

Law blinked, surprised to see Zoro adding himself to the conversation

“Jealous, Marimo?”

Zoro barked a laugh

“Yeah right!”

“Where’s Luffy anyways?” asked Law, gesturing behind him, not wanting those two to fight again, especially since he’s starting to suspect that it’s their foreplay

“He said he was hungry so he wanted to buy a snack from the vending machines. But he doesn’t carry money usually, so he’s gone to find Ace or Sabo for money.” explained Zoro, as the bell rung and Luffy zipped into the room and into his seat as Miss Monet waltzed in

“Cutting it close, aren’t we, Mr. Monkey?”

Luffy only smiled brightly, his mouth clearly stuffed with food

Law sighed fondly – he was dating a total dope

 

Class went more or less like usual and Law found himself after school stuck helping out with a photoshoot. And by helping out, it apparently meant ‘observing’ and giving his input here and there, as he had his around Luffy’s shoulders and Luffy has his around Law’s waist as they watched.  Apparently what Sanji had been working on was a possibility of poses for the shoot and Law stared at Sanji and Zoro in shock. He was really impressed with Sanji’s flexibility, leg strength and ab strength and of Zoro’s endurance and arm and body strength. Sanji was practically holding himself upside down around Zoro as the two took a really cool selfie. Law would be surprised if they didn’t win, considering how dynamic the picture looked. Law wasn’t sure where they got the new clothes though – but he did notice Zoro and Sanji gone during lunch.

“Wow! That’s a really cool shot!”

Law turned around, as saw Ace walking up to the group.

“Ace! I thought you were hanging out with Smokey after school!”

Ace’s eyes shot open as he glared at Luffy, growling slightly

“ _Can’t you keep any secret_?! I talked to you about this _just_ the other day!”

_Shit!_ Luffy got in trouble because of him!

“Who’s Smokey?” asked Nami, standing besides Usopp who was taking the picture of the selfie pic since Nami felt a mirror would ruin the quality

“Ace’s boyfrie-“ Luffy then clamped his hands over his mouth as Ace looked like he was going to murder Luffy

“Oh! A boyfriend! How exciting Ace! I’ve never heard of you dating before!” remarked Vivi, with a big smile on her face

“Why are you hiding the fact that you have a boyfriend, Ace?” asked Chopper innocently, Law could tell that Ace instantly felt guilty

“…He wants to keep us lowkey for now.” admitted Ace “Because it’s so new.” He then added quickly

The group nodded, understanding

“Ahh that makes sense! Well, good luck, Ace! You’re a great guy and you deserve…a great guy!” said Usopp, stumbling a bit

“Aha, thanks” said Ace a little awkwardly, but then he his phone going off and smiled brightly

“Oh that’s him! Gotta go guys! Good luck with the couple contest!” said Ace as he started to run off

“Don’t you dare enter or I’ll beat you up!” yelled Nami after Ace who merely laughed in response

 

Law soon got home and plopped down on the couch as Bepo went to go get changed and Cora started supper.  Law sighed happily as he looked around the room. He couldn’t believe how well everything was going and how fun school was. Bepo had gotten him a massive medical journal for his birthday that Law had been eyeing for a while and he had been waiting all day to pour through and he went to go see the guidance counsellor and collected all the pamphlets for all the best medical schools and programs in the country. Law was shocked at how his life went from horrible to wonderful in such a short time and he was…not comfortable with this at all.

There was this overwhelming anxiety in him; he knew something was going to happen. And even if Cora said he was going to put the whole Doffy thing on the backburner for now and concentrate on Ace – he really wasn’t comfortable doing that at all. Yeah, Doffy was probably not coming for a while – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any operatives in the city! It doesn’t mean he hasn’t planted people or hired informants and all of that crap! Honestly Law wanted to keep up with this, even if Cora didn’t. He didn’t want Doffy to have a single chance to come finish the job – especially not the one with Cora!

Law sighed, but then he turned his head and noticed a small flashing light on the phone’s answering machine.

Huh? Guess they missed a call-

Law turned around on the couch, quickly punching in the number on the phone to unlock it and put the message on speaker, that way Cora could hear it too

“Why hello mister Trafalgar~” Law frowned, why was Miss Monet calling his house?

“I’ve thought over what you said, and I’ve decided I would be honoured to go to dinner with you, how wonderful of you to ask me! How does this Friday sound? I know a wonderful little place we can go to, call me back if you want to make –“

Law jumped as Cora slammed the receiver down, cutting the message off

Law looked at Cora shocked, but a frown clearly on his face

“ _You asked Miss Monet out_?!”

Law was scandalized and frankly a little hurt. Cora had never shown any indication of being interested in sex or dating and here he was doing it behind his back!

“Law, it’s not what you think!” replied Cora quickly

“Oh yeah, then what the hell is it then?!” how could Cora keep that from him!?

“I think she’s an associate of Doffy’s!”

Law paused, staring at Cora completely shocked

“ _What?!”_

And there goes the other shoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And why does Cora suspect Monet? 
> 
> And what about Ace?
> 
> Guess you'll all find out on Ace's birthday-!


	42. -ACE- I Thought I Got This! I Don’t Got This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! The beginning is kinda heated! It doesn't go past a certain point, but still, for those uncomfortable with sex-y scenes!
> 
> Let's see how Ace is doing!

 

 

 

Ace groaned, throwing his head back against the pillow as he felt Smoker’s tongue flatten out on his nipple, slowly running circles about the numb, sucking softly

His mind felt on _fire!_

He arched his back moaning softly as Smoker kept nibbling and kissing and sucking his way down. The man was like a dog! Leaving nips and bites all along the way down Ace’s neck and now his chest. Ace had his hand gripped into Smoker’s hair as the man kept moving lower and lower. Ace’s head was swimming; he could feel his dick was hard and pressing against his boxers, Smoker’s hands tightly gripped his hips, holding him down against the bed. This was all going in an amazing direction and Ace couldn’t be more fucking thrilled – they were finally heading somewhere!

And then everything went black

 

Ace groaned again, cracking an eye open and looked around, disorientated. His face still felt flushed but he saw that Smoker was sitting on the bed besides him, working on some reports _– goddamnit_!

 “Oh you’re awake” stated Smoker, barely glancing in Ace’s direction

Ace let out a whine

“I’m so so sorry; I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of that! I-I”

“Stop.” instructed Smoker, closing the folder he was working on “I’m not mad or offended. You have narcolepsy; it’s not your fault.”

Ace whined loudly again, flopping down back on the bed, closing his eyes. He was so humiliated and his head was still swimming _. He fucked it up_!

“Besides, I’m not surprised you feel asleep, you look exhausted.” pointed out Smoker as he set the folder down in his briefcase besides the bed

“ _I am exhausted_.” stated Ace honestly

Between school, exams, planning the Halloween bash, taking care of Luffy, Whitebeard business, all the work he’s been getting from the Galley-La company, other odd jobs, and his social life and seeing his boyfriend, Ace was running himself ragged and he knew it. He felt like he was being stretched in a million different directions but he also didn’t want to let anyone down. Ace had his pride after all, and just the idea of disappointing someone didn’t sit well with him at all. He disappointed enough people simply by existing after all.

“Maybe you should go to sleep. You look like you need it.”

Ace whined softly as he turned to face the other man, cuddling up to Smoker and throwing his arm around the other man’s bare chest. _God he was gorgeous!_

“I’m still sorry. Everything felt _so so good_.”

Smoker smiled softly, Ace didn’t miss the slight blush on Smoker’s face at his comment, putting his arm around Ace and pulled him in closer. He nuzzled the top of Ace’s hair softly and said nothing.

Ace had noted that more and more Smoker fell into these moments of silence. As if he wanted to say something but didn’t quite know how.

After a small moment of silence, Smoker pulled away, turning towards the other side of bed and opened his nightstand drawer

“Before I forgot again, I have something for you.”

Ace instantly perked up, looking over as much as he could – but his boyfriend was _a lot_ of man

Hehehe _his boyfriend_

Smoker pulled out a few photos and handed them over to Ace as he resettled on his back. Ace quickly adjusted his position, back to laying against Smoker, as he looked at the photos

“Oh-! Is this you?! As a kid?”

Ace couldn’t help the bright smile that overcame his face. He never thought in a million years that Smoker would fork these over so easily!

“I told you I’ve always had hair this colour”

Ace chuckled softly as he looked over at the photo, but then he squinted

“Is that…a bat with nails you’re carrying?”

“Yes. It was how I made sure justice prevailed in Loguetown.”

“You went around with a bat full of nails?” teased Ace; wanting more details “What are you, Batman?”

“Batman is a _coward_ who hides his face and deals with psychological trauma by putting on a costume and beating up people who steal to eat while he lives in a lap of luxury. _I didn’t hide my face_!” defended Smoker stubbornly, making Ace laugh

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend! Did you have a superhero name though?”

“No. Everyone knew my goddamn name.”

Ace chuckled again, looking through more of the pictures

“You’re always with this dog”

“That was my sidekick, his name was Hero and he was the best dog.”

“Oof, don’t let Justice hear that” said Ace, petting the aforementioned dog as she came into the room, jumping onto the bed and settled herself on top of both of them

“She’s also the best dog. I only have best dogs.”

Ace chuckled as he flipped to the last picture and looked surprised. There was Smoker again, face smudged with dirt, the small remains of a black eye, covered in bruises, his clothes dirty and scuffed up – but he was smiling brightly in this woman’s arms

“Who’s this?” asked Ace, pointing to the woman

“That’s my mother. Dhalia Smoker.”

Ace looked at her picture in awe. She had Smoker’s colouring right down to the very pale skin tone and the hair colour. But she was beautiful and she seemed very kind –but also rather frail. Well, Smoker did mention that he had died a long time ago.

“Oh wow, Chase, she’s beautiful. You look so happy with her.”

Chase smiled softly at the photo in Ace’s hand

“I loved my mother with all of my heart; she was my world growing up.”

Ace smiled softly at the photo, and then an idea came to him

“Do you wanna see my mom?” asked Ace softly

Smoker blinked, surprised and grunted

“Sure.”

Ace shifted, crawling out of the bed and grabbed his wallet from his jeans that he had thrown on the floor. He removed the old photo from it and went back into the bed. Ace settled back in Smoker’s arms and showed him the photo

“This is the only picture I have of her. She died soon after giving birth to me.”

“You look so much like her” noted Smoker, almost in awe as he looked at the photo, carefully taking in every detail

“Her name was Rouge D. Portgas and-“ Ace paused when he felt Smoker stiffen up to him for a moment, inhaling sharply and then relaxed as he exhaled – _well that was weird_

“She looks young.” noted Smoker, instantly trying to make up for the pause

“Yeah, her and my biological father had a massive age difference. Didn’t I tell you that?”

Smoker chuckled softly

“That’s right, you did.” said Smoker as he handed the picture back to Ace, who quickly put it back in his wallet and threw it onto of his jeans

“You don’t seem to want to talk about your father” noted Smoker as Ace curled back up against him

“Neither do you” shot back Ace as he closed his eyes, Smoker snorted, closing his own eyes as he reached over and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness

“Point made. Goodnight, Ace.”

“Goodnight, babe”

 

“Oh wow, your neck is one big purple mess”

Ace blinked as he put his book in his locker. He blinked again, his mind a bit fuzzy as he narrowed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Was that Izo?

“Hey, you okay man?” asked Thatch as he put his hand on Ace’s arm, holding him steady

Was he okay?

His mind was feeling a bit fuzzy

Urgh, maybe he ate something bad?

Naw, Chase made him an awesome breakfast this morning

_God I love him_

W-Whoah!

He _loved him_!?

 

“…Love who, dude?”

Ace blinked again, looking at a confused Thatch as Izo snickered in the back

“Did I say that out loud?!”

“Uh…you said ‘ _god I love him’_ , who’s him? Is it the game who decorated your neck like that?” asked Thatch with a huge grin on his face

Ace’s face turned bright red as the rest of his body as he just stared in shock at the duo, making Izo laugh harder

Ace turned and tried to run off, only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt by Marco and pulled back

“Why are you running away?”

Both Thatch and Izo were full-on laughing now, unable to believe that Ace had tried to run

Ace whined softly, his head feeling worst as he was jerked back by Marco

“N-Nothing! Gotta take a piss!” blurted out Ace, hoping that it was enough for Marco to let him go

“Uh huh…” said Marco, letting go of Ace’s collar and then frowned sharply

“You’re awfully hot”

“I always am, baby, that ain’t nothing new” said Ace smirking as he gestured to himself

Marco rolled his eyes

“No, I mean your body heat. You’re also really flushed”

“Those two are being dicks!” said Ace, pointing to Thatch and Izo, as if to explain it

“Ace. You know that’s not what I mean.”

“I’m fiiiine!” said Ace as he grabbed his bag from the floor and walked off

He was kinda cold though

 

“Hey, you okay?”

Ace blinked, turning around to look at Sabo who frowned

“Why do people keep asking me that?” asked Ace, really annoyed

“Uh, because you’re wearing a big ass hoodie that you clearly swiped from your boyfriend” pointed out Sabo as he gestured to the police academy hoodie that Ace had taken from Smoker’s laundry basket this morning

Ace had snuck into the bathroom to slip the hoodie on and somehow Sabo had found him

“ _You’re a witch_! How did you know I was in here?”

“Uh…I saw you duck in here, jackass. You kinda were yelling in the hallway, it was hard to miss you.”

“I’m cold! It’s October! It’s normal for people to be cold!” he was just wearing a t-shirt with a thin cardigan and a pair of jeans! It was normal for him to be cold!

“Yeah, but not for you. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” asked Sabo as he tried to feel Ace’s forehead but Ace ducked away

“I’m fine, Sabo!”

Why did nobody believe him?!

_God he was cold_

Why was his vision blurry?

Ace stumbled slightly backwards but Sabo caught his arm, steadying him

“Ace, go home. You’re clearly sick.”

“Piss off, Sabo! I can take care of myself!” barked Ace, whipping his arm out of Sabo’s grasp and once again, stumbling back, but Ace caught himself in time

“Oh don’t say that shit to me, Ace! You don’t need to prove yourself! I told you that you were running yourself ragged, and now you got yourself sick!”

“Don’t lecture me! You’re not my mom!”

“Ace! I’m not lecturing you! Ace, deep breathes! C’mon! Let’s just get you home, you need some rest!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“Ace, I’m not! You look like hell! Get some rest!”

“Fuck that! Fuck thiiiiis!” said Ace as he stormed out of the bathroom, stumbling slightly as he walked

_Damn the door_ , it had no business moving around like that!

 

Ace barreled into his homeroom and flopped down in his seat. He quickly put the hood on and sank down his seat, head on the desk. Ace stopped for a moment and inhaled Smoker’s scent coming from the hoodie. It made him feel better. He was really dizzy though and it was getting hard to concentrate. And he was so damn _cold_! It was getting really hard to keep his eyes open

“Are you finally realizing that you’re sick?” said Marco from his side casually, not wanting to piss off Ace more. But Ace chose to ignore him, _fuck that bird brain_

Why did they call his Phoenix anyways?

Was Marco actually a bird?

Kaw kaw hahaha fuck

KAW KAW KAW KAW

Man, he wants to see Marco kaw now

 

“He’s not listening to reason” said Izo, making Ace groan

 

He didn’t need this right now

Stupid pretty Japanese boy

Now he wanted Japanese food

God he wanted food, oh man gyozas, he should convince Chase to make gyozas, that man was good in the kitchen

Ace whined softly, he wanted to eat at Foxfire’s with Chase again

He wanted to be in Chase’s nice big bed, with Justice, just, relaxing

It was nice, it was all so nice

Urgh, thinking was getting hard

What was he thinking about?

“-ce!”

Was someone calling him?

Urgh, he wanted to just sleep

“-CE!”

Was that Marco?

Why was he –

 

 

 

 

If you haven't seen it - look at this drawing Oda did of kid!Smoker, baaww ain't he cute?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd there we have it! What happened to Ace?? What's going to happen now??
> 
> Guess you'll see next week - Happy new year and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ACE!


	43. -MARCO - This Is How Trust Issues Are Made (Can We Not Keep Secrets From The Informant?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT IS THIS??? A NEW POV?
> 
> It's ONLY for one chapter, I'm stressing that right now! So don't get your hopes up! But Ace couldn't continue the story! Also, early update because I didn't know when I'd be able to tomorrow, so here you go!

 

 

 

There was the shipment coming in at the south port at one – Vista is on that so it’s okay.

He needed to talk to Jozu, see how that order is coming along; he needed everything ready for the party

Fuck, he also had to deal with this few starting up with Squardo and Blenheim, the day Squardo stops feuding with people is the day he finally gets to sleep properly

Shit, time to text Pops about the update he had on the product they had ready for the Halloween party – Fossa and Thatch had outdid themselves for getting everything ready in such a short time!

He also quickly shot a text to Pops about the papers; something didn’t quite add up in the financial papers, he needed to make sure that nobody was trying to rip them off. But he’d rather have Pops look into it, considering the man didn’t always tell him when he buys things so that way he could double check – It was Pop’s money, he doesn’t technically have to justify anything but Marco just wanted to be sure

He also needed to lock down everyone’s availability for the upcoming jobs, especially Ace, speaking of the devil

Ace plopped down in his desk, throwing his hood up and sunk into his seat

Marco raised a brow slightly, barely looking away from his phone as he watched Ace from the corner of his eyes

There, text sent to Pops, hopefully he’ll get a reply soon

He also needed to go over Pops’ health chart with the head nurse, Pops was getting along with age and wasn’t really careful with his health

Speaking of people not careful with their health

 

 “Are you finally realizing that you’re sick?”

Ace bluntly ignored him, making Marco roll his eyes

Of course he was being childish about this

But then again, Ace hated showing any weaknesses whatsoever

“He’s not listening to reason” mused Izo out loud, clearly to provoke Ace into a response, but Ace once again said nothing

Marco frowned

Ace was usually quick to anger – he wouldn’t have ignore such a blunt insult

“Ace?”

No answer, but Ace seemed to be drowsy in his seat

“ACE” said Marco again, louder, barely noticing that Sabo had just run into the classroom, running up to Ace

Next thing he knew, Ace fell over from his seat, Sabo barely catching him

“Is he okay?!” asked Marco, jumping out of his seat to Ace’s side, ignoring how the entire class stood up to see what was going on. Sabo was holding Ace, panic in his eyes

Man, what was with Ace and Sabo and constantly panicking over each other and Luffy?

“I think he passed out!”

“Shit! Can you carry him?! We’ll take him to Dr.Kureha right now.” stated Marco as he stood up, instantly taking command. He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, but he had to ignore it for now – Ace’s health was priority. Especially considering that this could be foul play

 

Sabo and Marco brought Ace to Dr.Kureha’s office and set him down on the bed, waiting for Dr.Kureha to return

Marco went to the sink and took a small cloth and wetted it slightly. He drained the excess water and went back to the bed, placing it on Ace’s forehead – the other was really feverish

Marco then frowned, noticing the sweater that Ace was wearing – where the hell did he get that?

“You need to relax. He’s probably fine.” stated Marco calmly, trying to get that look of panic out of Sabo’s eyes

“Easy for you to say.” hissed Sabo, frowning sharply as he fretted over Ace. Marco watched carefully as Sabo quietly investigated every inch of Ace’s body that he could

“Find any sign of poisoning?” asked Marco quietly, clearly surprising Sabo

“…you knew that’s what I was checking?” asked Sabo carefully, suspicious of Marco

Marco nodded, crossing his arms over his chest

“You’re worried someone did him in because the deadline’s coming close.”

Sabo nodded, about to say something before Dr.Kureha walked in

“Oh what the hell is this?”

Marco smiled, pretending that he wasn’t just having the conversation he was with Sabo; he wasn’t done with this line of questioning for sure, he’s going to have to revisit this conversation with Sabo another time

 

“So apparently, It’s just a really bad cold.”

Marco sighed slightly as Pops laughed away, clearly relieved as well

“He doesn’t half ass anything that boy, does he?”

Marco shook his head, sitting on Pop’s desk as he caught up with his emails on his phone

“No, so we brought his ass here. He’s currently sleeping it off in the room that’s going to be his room when he moves in. I told Thatch, Haruta and Izo to stay at school to collect Ace’s workload and give it to Sabo, who said he’d bring it all over tonight, because you know Ace, he doesn’t like being behind in school. But something concerns me.”

“Oh?” asked Pops, looking up from his laptop – the two were still hard at work, even during the conversation

“Every time Ace woke up, he would mumble about how he couldn’t be sick because he had to go meet _him_ , or that he was excited about his date with _him_ tonight and he just wanted to go cuddle with _him_.”

Pops snorted slightly

“Is that so?”

Marco raised a brow at Pops’ lack of concern

“But who the hell is _him_? Is Ace dating someone and hadn’t notified us?”

“No” said Pops, with a smirk “He didn’t notify _you_ ”   

What?

WHAT?

Marco’s eyes snapped open wide as he glared at Pops

“What?!”

“Ace notified me that he was dating someone about a month ago. But he was asked to only tell a very limited amount of people, so, he only told me” explained Pops as he sighed, closing the laptop cover

“And I wasn’t told?!”

He was gonna beat Ace upside the head!

“ _Very limited amount_ , Marco. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell you.”

“I’m gonna go kill him!!” said Marco as he hopped off the desk and stormed out of the office

“Don’t beat up the sick kid!” yelled Pops, laughing as Marco stormed off

 

Marco slammed the door to Ace’s future bedroom open, making Izo jump slightly. Marco hadn’t realized that Izo was home already

_How long was he in the office with Pops for?_

“Marco?” asked Izo cautiously, seeing that the other was clearly very pissed

“Is he up?”

“Ah, no, he just slipped back into sleep a moment ago.” said Izo, looking back at Ace, and then turned to Marco “Why are you upset?”

“ _Good!”_ growled Marco, snatching Ace’s bag beside the bed and then pulled out Ace’s beaten up cellphone and quickly opened it up

“Marco” warned Izo, slightly getting up out of his sitting position

Marco frowned sharply, opening the text messages and looked at the ‘sent’ messages and he couldn’t believe his eyes

Tons and tons of texts sent to ‘ _Chase <3’_, everything from conversations to plans

And lo and behold, Ace apparently had a dinner date tonight

With _the Captain!!_

_That fucking son of a bitch_!!

Marco quietly read the last text and quickly punched in a reply, sending it off to the Captain

Izo hissed softly, narrowing his eyes

“What did you just do?”

“I cancelled Ace’s date for tonight. Did you know he was dating the Captain?” asked Marco sharply,

_Izo wouldn’t dare lie to him_

“Yes.” admitted Izo, sighing “The Captain took Ace out to dinner at my family’s place. That’s how I found out. Marco, he wanted to tell you! Truly, but-“

“ _Stop. Talking_.” said Marco, holding out his hand

He was beyond mad right now. No wonder Ace was getting all cozy and dogsitting and all that bullshit with the Captain – _they were fucking_!

 Marco once turned again, ready to kick Ace awake but then he stopped, frowning

“ _What the fuck is he wearing_?”

Izo snorted, holding in his laughter

“He said he was cold. So I helped.”

“…so…he’s wearing a carrot onesie?”

Izo laughed more, looking really guilty

“I saw it and I had to buy it for him!”

Okay, it was pretty hard being mad at Ace dressed like a giant carrot

 

Marco went back to the office and did some work to try and calm down – how dare Ace hide this relationship from him?! It explained the weird change of mood and why suddenly Ace was beyond busy – he was going on dates and fucking around with the Captain!

“Uh…Marco, I know you’re pissed off and everything right now, but-“

“You better have a goddamn point, Jiru, or I swear to –“

“ _Someone just broke in_!”

Marco blinked slowly, turning around and looking at Jiru confused

“The alarm didn’t go off, Jiru, how the hell did someone break in?!”

“I just saw the gate open! But everyone’s here! They must have known the code!”

“ _Known the code_ , how is that-?!” Marco quickly turned around and opened up the log for the door

_Holy shit, someone did just punch in the code_!

Marco quickly turned on the security camera footage and lo and behold, someone was driving down the path towards the house! Marco quickly zoomed in and his jaw clenched when he saw who was driving the car

_It was the fucking Captain!!_

Did Ace give him the security code?!

But Ace would never?!

“Stop him! Stop him at the door!” screamed Marco, making Jiru quickly scramble out of the room and down the stairs.

Marco soon followed suit, trying to wrap his head around how the hell the Captain got the security codes.

 

By the time Marco had made it down the stairs, he was greeted with the Captain unlacing his boots and putting them carefully at the door, as well as shrugging his coat off and hanging it in the closet – there was a lot of younger members of the Whitebeard’s trying to get him to stop – but they were clearly keeping their distance, too intimidated to openly confront the head of the Police department

“You have a lot of _fucking nerve_ barging in like this!” barked Marco, himself not afraid as he stormed towards the intruder

“Shut up. I put my fucking shoes at the door like the old man likes it, so stop your yapping. I’m here to see Ace.” admitted bluntly Smoker as he moved past Marco, without even batting an eye “I’m assuming the bedrooms are still on the upper level.”

_“Who the fuck do you think you are?!”_ hollered Marco, grabbing Smoker’s arm and pulling him back towards him “You can’t just barge in here like you own the place!”

Smoker growled, turning towards Marco and quickly breaking the hold Marco had on his arm, taking it back

“Shut the fuck up and be useful and show me where Ace’s room is”

“Get out!” stated Marco again, fuming

This asshole had a lot of nerve! The worst part is that it’s not like they could call the cops – they can’t give the Law any access to the house whatsoever and as the Captain, he could cancel the call any time he wanted. So it was pointless and they both knew it.

“Listen here you, I don’t know what your game is, but you’re not allowed to just barge in on private property like this, Police chief or not!”

But before Smoker could answer, another voice cut in

 

“My, it has been a long time since you stepped into this house, Chase. It’s really good to see you!”

Marco turned and looked at Pops stunned as he had a wide smile on his face and his arms were open, as if he was almost expecting a hug?!

Smoker huffed, turning his head to the side

“I’m here to see Ace, old man.”

_Why was he being so familiar with Pops?!_

“Ahh, I assumed so. The whelp is really sick, so he’s resting in his room. But you’re welcomed to stay for dinner if you’d like!”

_What?!_

Smoker closed his eyes, as if he was mulling it over.

“Eleanor is coming as well tonight; it would be nice to have you all together” added Whitebeard with a grin

_What are you saying, Pops?!_

“ _Fine_. Now where is Ace’s room?” snapped Smoker, frowning, clearly trying to control his anger

“Up the stairs, to the left, you can’t miss it, the door’s open”

Smoker nodded and went up the stairs as Marco watched shocked, what just happened?!

“GYAHAHAHAAHA! It’s been so long that I’ve seen the boy, he’s as stubborn as his mother! To think that he hasn’t been here in nearly 20 years.”

“Pops…I’m missing some info here” admitted Marco, staring at Pops stunned as the rest of the Whitebeards gathered up, wondering what the commotion is

“Did I just see Chase go into Ace’s room?” asked Jozu, coming down the stairs, who seemed bewildered more than shocked

Why was Jozu being so casual about this?

“Yeah, imagine that, he’s dating Ace!” replied Pops, still laughing

“Wow, it’s been years since he’s come home!”

_Home?!_

“Pops…” started Marco, not sure how to put it into words

“You knew I was married before I took you in, right, Marco?” asked Pops carefully; sure that Marco had connected the dots by now

“Yeah…She died though, didn’t she? Murdered?” replied Marco, shocked

_No way!_

“Dahlia was the love of my life, and with her I had two children. Eleanor, which you all know and –“

“ _The Captain!?_ He’s your son? That’s why you never seemed too concerned with him!?” asked Marco, wanting to confirm the information

Whitebeard merely nodded

“Smoker was my wife’s maiden name.  After my wife’s murder, Chase grew angry at me because he found out that it was another gang who had done the deed. So he cursed my way of life and refused to have anything to do with me. So I wanted to respect that wish by keeping this information to myself. I didn’t want to deceive you, Marco. That was never my intention. But I didn’t see the point of sharing this information until now.”

Marco nodded slowly, trying to absorb what he was just told.

_The Captain was Pop’s biological son_!

Marco quietly went up the stairs, texting Thatch instructions that there would be an extra person for dinner tonight

 

Marco walked up quietly to the room and found a stunned Izo at the door, holding a bowl of water and cloth, not sure how to proceed.

Marco peeped in and was surprised at such a tender scene

Smoker was lying on the bed with Ace curled up in his arms, Ace’s head laying on the crook of Smoker’s neck as he mumbled into the man’s collar. One of Smoker’s hands was playing with the wisps of hair that was sticking out of the carrot onesie that Ace was wearing, hood up and everything, while the other hand was lying on Ace’s hip, slowly running circles with his thumb

“I’m a carrot” mumbled Ace quietly as he closed his eyes, curling in closer into Smoker, clearly drowsy and disorientated

“Yeah, you are.” replied Smoker, oddly much more tenderly than Marco could have expected from the man as he leaned in and kissed Ace’s forehead softly

Ace quickly fell asleep and Smoker’s gaze quickly locked in on the two at the door and he frowned, apparently he hadn’t noticed them

Izo nodded quietly, walking into the room and setting down the bowl of water besides the bed

“You must be Izo, I assume?” asked Smoker, purposely keeping his voice low to not disturb Ace

Izo nodded, bowing

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

Smoker nodded in response as Izo made his way out, Izo giggling slightly at the scene as he passed by Marco – clearly Izo found the scene in front of him cute or something

 

Marco stayed at the door, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms, not wanting to breach the scene. As if the room had suddenly become a different dimension and he didn’t want to go in it

He had never seen this Ace before

He never knew that this Ace _existed!_

Ace who looked at someone so enamoured, _so completely in love_!

It was weird and it was making him uncomfortable to not know this side of someone he considered a close friend

He was also still really hurt that Ace had kept this from him as well

 

“I’m assuming that text was written by you?”

Marco blinked, distracted out of his thoughts as he looked at Smoker who still had his gaze locked on him. He could only assume that Smoker had been waiting for him to say something first

“What makes you say that?” asked Marco, pretending he had no idea of the tone he had in that text

“Because Ace would never say to me ‘ _Date cancelled. I’m not seeing you tonight._ ’ He’s much more detailed than that usually with his messages.” explained Smoker as he looked fondly at Ace for a moment

_Stop that_

Marco shrugged

“And I’m assuming that the old man told you everything.”

“Hard to believe that the Police chief is Pop’s own son by blood.” admitted Marco, frowning, Smoker only shrugged, looking at Ace again, but this time, almost sadly

“You don’t get to pick your parents. But you will be judged because of who they are.”

Marco blinked, surprised

Did he know -?

_No!_

_Well, son of a bitch, Ace, you apparently struck gold_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go! Did any of you figure it out? We're going back to Cora next week though!


	44. -CORA- This Would Have Been Totally Badass If I Didn't Nearly Piss My Pants (When Your Date Is Da Bomb!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to Cora!
> 
> Holy shit guys, you guys reacted really strongly to the last chapter! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN KEEPING THAT IN?! But I'm happy it was well received!

 

 

 

“So my stubborn ass of a little brother finally came around.”

Cora had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing. It was weird to hear someone be so insulting towards the Captain. But apparently his older sister Eleanor didn’t care. Nor did she really care for boundaries, hanging out by the desk with Bellemere, having a laugh

“Oh yeah? Well that’s good news, you said he called earlier this week too, right?”

“Yep! Right in the middle of the day! Asking to see me! It was so weird. He said he needed to talk with our old man, so I gave him the code to the front gate of the mansion. Otherwise I don’t think Marco would have let him in. The guy seems really laid-back, but he’s actually a real hardass about the protection and privacy of Pops. Honestly, I don’t think Dad could have gotten a better person as his second. But the little punk also gave me a good tongue lashing for giving away the codes like that! Man, you’d think he was my step mom.”

“Haha! He practically is though! I heard the younger members calling him ‘mom’ when he isn’t there!”

Cora frowned sharply

There was too much information in that statement

Marco was the second of Eleanor’s old man?

Isn’t that-!

Oh my god!

“Oh by the way, let me introduce you to our super spy – Rosinante” said Bellemere with a smirk, gesturing towards Cora, who was leaning against a filing cabinet, going through some papers

“ _Holy shit_!” exclaimed Eleanor, turning around to look at Cora “I didn’t even fucking see him there!”

Bellemere chuckled, noticing the panic in Eleanor’s expression

“You have nothing to worry about. Rosi knows when to keep his trap shut. He won’t go babbling around what he just heard. Besides, he has nothing to say on the topic, Doflamingo’s his brother” said Bellemere with confidence, but Cora wasn’t dumb, he clearly understood the warning that Bellemere was giving. She had allowed him to overhear this, so he better not fuck this up.

But holy shit – the Captain is Whitebeard’s son!

That actually made weirdly a lot of sense and answered a lot of his questions as to why the Captain had been avoiding direct confrontation with the Whitebeard gang!

Cora though bristled slightly at Bellemere openly divulging such information about him, but he understood why she did it though

“What? Holy shit, talk about bad blood.” said Eleanor, shocked

Bellemere then narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Cora up and down

“You look pretty nice tonight – what’s going on here?”

Cora chuckled sheepishly, he had tried!

He was wearing a light blue and white pinstripe shirt with a dark blue tie that had little white hearts on it and was wearing a nice pair of dark blue slacks

“I have a date tonight”

“OOOH!!” yelled Bellemere all excited. Eleanor merely chuckled, stepping to the side, heading towards the exit

“Well, I have a bar to run, so I’ll see you kids later. Rosinante, it was nice meeting you!” 

“Oh nice meeting you too!”

 

“So…a date?” said Bellemere with a massive grin. Ah, no, Cora needed to nip this in the bud right now

“You’re getting the wrong idea!” said Cora quickly; waving his hands “I think she’s associated with Doffy, hence why I’m going out on this date! I’m not interested in her at all!”

“Ahhh…Well, that’s a bit of a pain. Ever interested in actually dating one day though? We’ve never really discussed that”

But before Cora could say anything, Law walked into the police station and let out a loud angry screech

Cora jumped, letting out a loud yip before he jumped, accidentally tripping over the desk, falling into it and rolled over, landing on the floor behind the desk

_Goddamnit_

Cora groaned, sitting up and rubbing his now sore back as Law ran up to, him, still not yelling words, but merely very distressed sounds, pointing at him

But what Cora noticed the most, was the sword on his back

“Oh what the hell are you doing walking around with the sword?!” screamed Cora, making Bellemere laugh at the whole scene

“Why the hell is your hair styled like that?! Stop it! Put it down! You look too much like Doffy!!”

Cora blinked slowly – oh yeah! He forgot he had spiked his hair up to resemble his brother more

“I…I _am_ his brother, Law”

“I don’t like it! Don’t do that! Put it down!”

“Law. _I need to do this_. It’s part of the plan!”

Law huffed, puffing his cheeks slightly as he looked to the side. He was clearly annoyed, but he understood now why this had been important

“Speaking of which, Bepo and I are ready to stakeout. Try to get seated in the middle, near the window’s range, okay? Bepo mapped out the restaurant for us.” said Law, taking out his phone and showing a rather detailed map of the restaurant to Cora

Cora bristled visibly again

“ _You two are not doing a stakeout_! That’s too dangerous! What if she’s on to me?!”

“Which is exactly why we’re doing a stakeout!  You might need backup!”

“I don’t want you in danger, Law! Doffy might want me dead, but he wants you _alive_!”

Law frowned sharply

“I can handle myself, Cora! And I’m going to be there and you can’t stop me!”

Cora growled, but then he groaned, slapping his forehead as he groaned loudly

“FINE!” said Cora, giving up “But you don’t do anything that might put you in danger, you understand? If the situation gets dangerous, you call Bellemere, Tashigi or the Captain, agreed?!”

Law nodded sharply and smiled, clearly proud of himself for standing his grounds

“Good!”

 

“My, this is a lovely spot you picked”

Cora chuckled softly as he escorted Monet inside the Italian restaurant he had picked. It was odd to see her without her thick, large-rimmed glasses, but she was very much a beautiful woman. She was wearing a dark blue and light blue dress that ended at her thighs and Cora found it kinda funny how their outfits matched.

“I heard really good things about this place and I’ve been dying to try it out, so this worked out!”

Cora hadn’t missed for a second how Monet couldn’t keep her eyes off of his face but it was a disassociated look; as if he wasn’t really seeing him

Hmm, this was interesting

Once they sat down, Cora decided to try something

He sat down, backed up the chair a bit, straightened out his back and crossed his legs. Inside, _Cora wanted to die_ – the act of taking so much space, and acting like it was his to take, _was killing him_. But if he imitated Doffy, he might get a re-

_Wow, that didn’t take long_

Monet instantly tensed up, her cheeks flushing a bit as she leaned forward, as if needing Cora’s attention

Well shit, now he had to act like his brother

He could never come to this restaurant again

 

Cora’s face was starting to hurt after smiling so much. How could Doffy stand to smile so much was beyond him. He had ordered lobster, that he didn’t particularly like, but he knew was Doffy’s favourite. He went to the bathroom and came back with his dress shirt unbuttoned enough to show part of his chest and his tie was gone. Cora purposely laughed like his brother, he took as much space as he wanted, was loud, didn’t tolerate any of the waiting staff treating him less than the best either or keeping him waiting. Cora was feeling so absolutely horrible, he was going to need to leave the staff an insanely massive tip to make up for this

But holy shit was Monet eating it up

If he doubted for a second that Money was in love with Doffy, he didn’t doubt it at all now

During the dinner, Cora had caught the sight of Law at the window, looking at him horrified

This was probably bringing back really bad memories for Law

So he stuck out his tongue and pulled a stupid face, making Law laugh

_Good_

Cora took a sip of his wine as Monet laughed softly

“Oh my, you’re quite the catch, Rosinante~ How lucky I am to have met such a man as you”

Cora paused for a moment, and then he smirked

 

_Show time_

 

“But if only I was my brother, right?”

Monet instantly stiffen up, looking at Cora shocked for a moment, but then she laughed softly, raising a brow, feigning confusion

“You have a brother? That’s lovely!”

Cora sighed, rolling his eyes and cocked his gun under the table, loudly enough for Monet to hear

“Don’t play dumb. I’m not an idiot, as much as Doffy probably thinks I am. Now, don’t worry, if you do as I ask, you can go free and we can keep pretending that this didn’t happen.”

“I’ll scream.” threatened Monet, making Cora roll his eyes

“Look around.” Monet frowned and then she looked around – shocked

“Where is-?!”

All the other restaurant patrons were gone and the staff was nowhere in sight.

“I made a call to have the whole restaurant slowly emptied as the night moved on. If you do anything to me tonight, you will be instantly arrested as I have reinforcements on standby.”

Monet frowned sharply, clearly enraged

“So, now, what you’re going to do is take out your phone and how about you dial up that brother of mine”

“Doffy is going to kill me.” stated Monet with a straight face

Cora merely shrugged

“Are you trying to get me to care? Take your phone out and call my brother.”

She had made her choice. He had made his and Law and Bepo’s safety was his priority now.

Monet pulled out her phone and dialed the number and put the phone on the table, sliding it over to Cora

Cora smiled, hitting the speaker button with his free hand and put the hand holding the pistol on the table, keeping it aimed at Monet

 

“ _What is it Monet?”_

Good. He answered

“Why hello Doffy. See, funny thing. I’m on a date with this beautiful woman but alas, it seems that she only wants you.”

There was a long pause until he heard a loud sigh

“ _I see Monet’s cover is blown_.”

“I thought you said you’d leave us alone for a while.”

“ _Ah ah ah, I said that I wouldn’t be coming to Goa for a while.”_

“Of course, of course. Should I be flattered that you can’t seem to leave us alone?”

Cora knew that he was playing a dangerous game right now – but if he could rile up Doffy first, he wouldn’t have to be afraid of Doffy riling him up

Emotional manipulation was easily Doffy’s best skill

“ _I thought I had made my intentions quite clear, dear little brother_ ”

“Ah yes, me dead and Law back, isn’t that right? I want to make sure I understood you clearly”

“ _You understood quite well! I’m very proud of you! Now, if you would just bring me Law, all of this could be forgiven. Why, I might even be lenient and let you live.”_

_Stay calm_

_Stay calm_

Cora rolled his eyes, not believing a word of that

“Oh sure, and then shoot me in the back as I’m walking away. Do you take me for a fool?”

“ _Are you sure you want me to answer to that_?”

“Ha ha ha, leave us the fuck alone, Doffy.” stated Cora seriously, already feeling his blood starting to boil

_Stay calm  
Stay calm_

“ _You already know what I’m going to say to that.”_

“I can’t say I care too much, honestly, about your opinion on the matter. You keep sending people; I’ll just keep finding them and finishing them off”

Cora fired a shot into the wall, the bullet slightly grazing Monet’s shoulder, making the other wince and hold on to her slightly wounded shoulder

Ngggh he was going to have to pay for that wall

“ _Who do you think you’re fooling? You don’t have it in you_ ” said Doflamingo calmly. Cora smirked slightly; there was a tinge, just a tinge of uncertainty in Doffy’s voice

_Jackpot_

“To kill you? No. To kill her? _Are you sure about that_?”

If looks could kill, Monet’s eyes would have him drop dead right now

“ _Unfortunately, it has come to this. You know what I’m going to have to ask of you, Monet.”_

“Yes, young master, of course.”

“ _Do you have it on you_?”

“Of course I do, young master.”

Cora frowned sharply, his eyes widening slowly

_Fuck!_

“ _I’m asking a terrible thing of you, but thank you_.”

“It was my plan all along, young master”

“ _Thank you for willing to die for me, Monet_.”

Cora watched carefully as Monet slipped her hand in her purse, lifting up a small device which Cora instantly recognized as a bomb

He had completely miscalculated!!

Shit!

Cora hadn’t thought for a second that she would be willing to take them both down together

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

Law and Bepo needed to get away from the building – _now_!

Cora turned his head in panic, happy to see Law gone from the window, and then he turned back to look at Monet

“You’re a piece of shit, Doffy” stated Cora through his teeth

“ _I don’t like messes_.”

“This isn’t the end of it and you know it!”

 

Monet smiled, clearly proud of herself for pleasing her master, holding up the bomb and was ready to activate it when suddenly there was a soft hiss in the room. She hesitated, looking around and the room was suddenly filled with a thick smoke

Cora covered his mouth with a napkin, throwing himself on the ground

Who the hell threw a smoke bomb inside the room!?

“ _Monet?! What’s going on?! Talk to me, Monet?!”_

Cora could hear Monet being wrestled– her body slamming to the ground loudly

“I got her!”

_Tashigi?!_

“Good.”

Was that the Captain’s voice?!

“Is this Donquixote Doflamingo?” asked the Captain, his voice sounded muffled, he was probably wearing a respirator

Suddenly Cora could breathe better as he felt a respirator being put over his own face. He quickly turned around and was happy to see Bellemere behind him

“ _Who’s asking?”_ asked Doflamingo, clearly not happy but trying to appear nonchalant

“My name is Captain Chase Smoker, I’m the current chief of police of the City of Goa and you can consider this your first and only warning to take your agents or associates or whatever the hell you want to call them and take them out of my goddamn city. I don’t want trash in my city, and I will take it out if I need to.”

“ _Ahh…yes, the Marine’s former stray dog. Apparently your bark is worst than your bite”_

“All dogs bite if they’re pushed enough, Donquixote. _Don’t push me_.”

Cora heard Doffy’s laugh echo through the room as the call was ended. He isn’t sure though if Doffy hung up or the Captain ended the call

“Trafalgar! Are you okay?” barked out the Captain making Cora jump slightly, he didn’t realize that he hadn’t spoken

“Yes! I’m fine! How did you guys -?”

“Law called.” said Tashigi as Cora could hear Monet being cuffed

Cora sighed in relief – thankful that Law had listened

 

Cora made his way outside with the rest of the officers as Monet gets dragged into a squad car. Cora blinked, surprised to notice that the Captain wasn’t in uniform – wasn’t he not on duty when he came over?

“Who’s idea was it to use a smoke bomb?” asked Cora to Bellemere who was taking off her respirator

“The Captain’s.”

“I didn’t know he was on tonight.”

“He wasn’t – but Tashigi wanted to keep him informed so he left Ace’s bedside and came straight over.”

“Ace’s bedside?”

Panic welled up inside of Cora – shit! Right! Ace! Fuck!

“Yeah, apparently he’s really sick, so that’s why he was with him.”

“The two are still together?” asked Cora, a little surprised

Bellemere lifted a brow

“Are they not still supposed to be?”

Cora shook his head as he felt someone run into his back, hugging him tight, and then felt someone else crashing into him, hugging him as well

Bellemere laughed, walking away

“Well, I see you’re busy, so I’m going to go join Tashigi to bring back our perp into custody, hopefully she’ll talk”

“I doubt it. She was willing to die for him, Bellemere.”

Bellemere frowned, nodding as she went off to join the squad car

 

Cora smiled, looking down at Law and Bepo hugging him tightly. Clearly they had been scared

“You boys did good.”

“You were so cool, Cora!” said Bepo with a huge smile on his face

“ _Don’t ever do that again_ ” warned Law in a low voice, Cora could feel Law trembling against him

Cora smiled softly, hugging them both the best he could

“We’re going to have to, Law. Doffy is going to send someone else, without a doubt. Promise me both that you’ll be on guard?”

Both Bepo and Law nodded, affirming what Cora said

“Now c’mon! Let’s go home! This is a reason to celebrate!”

As both boys loosened their grip around Cora’s waist as walked alongside of him – Cora didn’t miss Law’s grip on the back of his shirt

He only hoped he hadn’t set off another round of nightmares for Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a tense date! That could of gone in a really bad direction! But alas - it didn't-!
> 
> We're finally back to Ace next week!


	45. -ACE- When You Have Hard Choices To Make And No Magic 8 Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! Sorry about the slight delay in posting it! I got home not to long ago from a busy weekend away! But it's up now! So let's go back to Ace!

 

 

 

The room was dark

Ace squinted slightly as he slowly blinked, not recognizing the ceiling

But at the same time, he did?

Ace sat up, groaning as he did. He had spent the last day or so in bed, hadn’t he?

Right! He wasn’t feeling too great! And he’s pretty sure he remembered being brought to the Whitebeard –oh!

Ace turned slightly, sniffling as his nose started to run

Guess he was at the last bit of his cold or something

 

“Blow your nose, man!”

Ace jumped slightly; surprised to hear Thatch’s voice but then he smiled brightly when he saw that the other was carrying food

Ace could hear his stomach growling as the scent of the soup hit his nose

“Aww! Is that for me?”

“Only if you blow your nose~”

Ace laughed, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand and quickly did as he was ordered to while Thatch took the bed tray besides the bed and set it up with one hand and then put down the soup

“I had like, the weirdest dream” started Ace as he quickly dug into his food

“Oh yeah? Is it about Marco killing you? Because Marco’s gonna kill you.”

Ace frowned, spoon still in his mouth as he looked at Thatch confused

“War iz Arko ‘Illing mea?”

“Dude!”

Ace took the spoon out of his mouth and set it down

“Why is Marco killing me?”

“Because of your secret boyfriend? He already tore Eleanor a new one too for giving your beau the codes!”

Ace froze

“…that…wasn’t a dream…was it”

“Nooo, no it was not”

“So…Marco knows that I’m dating –“

“The Captain? Oh you damn right he knows”

“…I’m so dead, aren’t I?” asked Ace in a small voice, wondering if the room he’s in is too high or not for him to leap out the window and run out of town

Even though that wouldn’t do any good – knowing Marco he’d hunt him down until the ends of the Earth

Thatch laughed, shaking his head

“You’re _pretty_ dead, that’s for sure! But Pops told him to not beat you while you’re sick, so just stay sick!”

 

“ _What Pops doesn’t know can’t hurt him_ ”

Ace winced at the sound of Marco’s voice as he turned and grabbed his soup bowl, bringing it to his mouth and quickly drinking it down

If he was gonna die, it’s going to be with a full stomach, damn it!

Marco rolled his eyes at the scene as Thatch laughed more, taking the empty bowl from Ace

“I see you’re feeling better”

“Yeah” replied Ace nervously as he kept his eyes on Marco trying to gauge the other’s anger

He didn’t _look_ particularly mad, but he had his ‘I’m so fucking done’ robe on, which was basically just a purple and blue silk bathrobe with a phoenix embroidered in the back with gold thread that he wore open and a pair of silk pj pants, but Marco only really wore it when he was stressed about something and wanted to be comfortable

“Your _boyfriend_ called and said that he’d take you home this afternoon if you’re feeling better and that he needed to talk to you about something.” said Marco nonchalantly, not even looking at Ace, but still tinkering away at his phone

Ace winced sharply at the stress at the word ‘boyfriend’ and knew that it was now groveling time

“Marco…Listen…I-“

“Shut up, Ace.” said Marco, sighing as he put the phone in his pants pocket, rolling his eyes “I’m not mad. I _was_ mad. _I was really fucking mad;_ don’t even doubt that for a second, but after the bomb Pop’s dropped yesterday, it’s hard to be mad at you about _chastely_ dating the Captain.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed at the word ‘chastely’ as his expression soured

_How did he-!_

“ _Don’t go there_.”

“Seriously, Sandra Dee? Lousy with virginity? Won’t go to bed until you’re legally wed?”

Ace was blushing furiously at this point – _out of all the fucking Grease songs to be sung to him_!

Marco laughed, clearly enjoying Ace’s reaction to his taunting as Thatch stepped out, laughing brightly

“It’s not what you think-!”

“I know, Ace, relax! You have fifteen levels of trust issues to get through before you let anybody be your friend, much less sleep with you”

Ace blinked, surprised but not surprised that Marco had figured that about him

“You’re kinda in a vulnerable position when you’re having sex, you know?” admitted Ace, knowing that Marco would know where he was going with this

Maybe the person he was sleeping with secretly wanted him dead! It’s kinda hard to fight someone off naked!

_Even though Black Widow did it amazingly in that one issue that one time…_

Ace then frowned, he was awfully hot

He looked down and frowned even more

“What am I wea-?”

“Izo got you that” confirmed Marco, still typing away on his phone

Ace turned his head and looked at himself in the mirror of the dresser and laughed brightly

“I’m a carrot!”

“So you said like a million times to your boyfriend yesterday.”

The colour completely drained from Ace’s face as the vague memories of yesterday came back to him

Oh god, he had been so _cuddly_! Shit shit shit! He had made a total ass out of himself!! _That was so embarrassing!_

“…I made a total ass out of myself yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Ooh yes you did, _and there is so much photo and video evidence_ – all the boys had a total field day with you yesterday”

_Ace wanted to crawl under the bed and die_

 

Ace sighed heavily as he waited at the entrance of the mansion for the Captain to come pick him up

Even though the other had entered the house and cuddled with him in the bed (Ace was still mildly in shock about that) he didn’t want to put Smoker under the stress of entering a gang’s residence twice

Ace knew the fact that he was a Whitebeard was a severe sore spot for the Captain. He didn’t miss the sneer and instant drop in his boyfriend’s mood every time he saw the tattoo on his back

He wasn’t a fool – he knew how potentially dangerous for their relationship him being in a gang was. _But he could never leave the gang_

When Whitebeard came across him, Ace had been a violent loose cannon. Unable  to properly deal with Sabo’s death and the sheer amount of self-hatred he had for himself, Ace had fallen into a pretty suicidal hole. He was picking fights left and right with anybody, everybody, doing whatever he could to prove himself. It was a side of him he never wanted Luffy to see, but he knew it wasn’t gone either.

But Pops took him in anyways. The bastard son of the former King of Gangs, the little loss boy who needed a home, not that Ace would ever admit out loud. But there was Pops, gladly taking him in despite what a mess he was. The Whitebeards quickly accepted him within their own, well, after he stopped trying to murder Pops and Ace felt like he had finally found himself a home. A place to belong.

Ace sighed again; he hoped that Smoker never asked him to leave the gang – because that would be the end of their relationship. He could never not be faithful to Pops. Pops had saved him. In Ace’s mind – his life belonged to Pops for life.

 

The Captain’s car pulled up and Ace smiled brightly, excited to see the other. Smoker parked in front of Ace and when he heard the door’s unlock, he quickly got into the car and without a word, Smoker drove out of the property

“Thank you for the ride!” said Ace brightly, trying to deflect the weird mood in the car

“Ngh” grunted Smoker as he kept driving

If Ace was a dog, his ears would have lowered and he would have whimpered. Had he done something wrong?

Ace stayed quiet, not sure what to say. But soon enough, Smoker spoke up

“Feeling better, mister Carrot?”

Ace turned a dark red, completely embarrassed as Smoker laughed loudly, giving Ace sudden butterflies. He looked at the other in awe, soaking in every laugh

“Y-Yeah. Thank you…for coming. You didn’t have to…I really appreciated it though”

“You don’t have to be so tensed. I made the choice to go.”

Ace smiled slightly _, it was true that nobody could make Chase Smoker do anything he doesn’t want to do_

“Still…I know it was probably not somewhere you wanted to go.”

“No kidding” mumbled Smoker, and then he raised his brow, looking at Ace for a moment

“The bird brain didn’t tell you, did he?”

Ace blinked, surprised, and then snorted

“Do you mean Marco? Tell me what? That he knows? He told me that?”

Smoker stayed silent for a moment and then nodded

“Do you mind stopping at my place for a bit before I bring you home? I have to talk to you about something.”

Ace quietly nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach

 

They soon made it to the house and Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly as he was greeted by Justice at the door.

Ace quietly took off his boots as Smoker did the same. Ace quietly watched Smoker; he could tell the other man was suddenly very tense. Every muscles contracted in his neck as the tension made its way up

Urgh, Izo had told him that the Japanese found the nape of the neck really erotic, and seeing it peeping out from the shirt that Smoker was wearing, _he now totally understood why_

Smoker made his way into the living room with Ace quietly following along. He made a gesture for Ace to sit on the couch and then told him that he was going upstairs for a minute. Ace nodded as Justice climbed into his lap and licked his face gently and nuzzled him. Ace smiled brightly, chuckling as he was unable to resist Justice’s charm

 

“I wanted to tell you the full story about my family.” started Smoker as he came around the couch and sat down, putting a photo album down on the coffee table and opened it – pulling out an old frayed photo. Ace smiled when he recognized the woman in the photo as Smoker’s mother

“That’s your mother, right?”

Smoker nodded

“Dahlia Smoker. She was an only child of a Scandinavian family and for whatever reason; she found herself an orphan and was adopted into a prominent family on this side of the ocean. That’s her with her adopted family. That woman besides her is my aunt Lily, the one I went to visit in Loguetown.”

“All flower names!” pointed out Ace, laughing softly

“Well, mostly because they didn’t know her actual name when they adopted her, just her surname. So they kept with the theme as they named her. Anyways, she grew up happy and highly educated and the family had high hopes for her – until she met the man she would marry.”

Ace frowned slightly

“’M guessing they didn’t like him”

“Not at all. She was disowned for marrying him.” said Smoker as he turned the page of the photo album and pointed to what looked like a wedding portrait. He instantly pointed to it and looked at Ace, waiting for a reaction

Ace’s jaw dropped

_There was no way!_

_No!_

_NO WAY!_

“I-Is that Pops?” asked Ace carefully, not quite processing it himself

“Yes.”

“D-Does that mean that Pops is your d-“

“Yes.”

Ace stared at Smoker in shock

“I’m dating the son of my Pops?!”

Smoker flinched, frowning

“Don’t say it like that! It sounds awful!” barked Smoker, cheeks flushed

“A-Ah good point! Holy shit, I…Explains why you were able to come into the house in the first place. Wow, holy…Really?”

Ace knew he was babbling, but his mind couldn’t process the information

_Chase Smoker was Newgate Edward’s son!_

_How was this even possible??_

But he was the chief of p- Oh! The lack of info! That was probably why!

Ace blinked slowly, now the pieces were all fitting together – _that’s how Smoker had met Roger_!

“Well, Eleanor had to give me the gate’s codes first. Apparently the little birdy didn’t like that too much and reamed her out for it. Not that she probably gave a fuck honestly.”

“Eleanor’s your sister?!” blurted out Ace, shocked – he knew that Eleanor was Pop’s biological daughter, but wait -!

“But Eleanor’s ol-…mature?” offered Ace weakly, feeling like a real jackass right now

“She’s 8 years my senior. Also she wasn’t living with us when my mother was murdered.”

_Wait what?!_

“Murdered?”

Smoker sighed, turning the album a few pages later and Ace was suddenly bombarded with nothing but cut out newspaper articles

“It happened when I was a teenager. Edward, not wanting us to be in the limelight because he was a mob boss, had us live in Loguetown. We lived a rather quiet life, honestly. My mother and her sister ran a flower shop together. I went to school; I just thought my father was gone on business a lot, not knowing what he actually did for a living. I’d see him pretty often though. During the summer, I lived at the mansion here. So all the older members of the gang knew the truth about me. But one night, I was staying over at my friend Drake’s house and Eleanor didn’t live with us anymore. My mother was home alone with Hero and some rival gang broke in with every intention of murdering ‘Whitebeard’s family’. Hero tried to protect my mother, but it cost him his life, and then they took my mother’s life as well.”

Ace listened quietly in shock, not sure what to even say

“The next morning I came home and there was my mother and Hero in the living room…” started Smoker, going silent for a moment. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Ace leaned in, resting his head against Smoker’s arm, trying to comfort him

“So when the cops came and the investigation started – that’s when it was plastered everywhere ‘ _Whitebeard’s Wife Slain by Rival Gang’_ on every goddamn newspaper! Everyone knew exactly what that man did with his life as I was left in the dark, blabbing away about being a cop, blabbing away about being fair and justice while my father was a criminal and my mother was killed because of it!”

“You had no idea?” asked Ace quietly, Smoker already quite agitated

“No. Not a goddamn clue! I felt like such a fool! So when the old man came to collect me to come live with him, I refused! I told him I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him and that I wanted him to leave me alone forever! I went to live with my aunt Lily and the rest is history.” said Smoker as he closed the photo album, with no intention of opening it again

Ace remained silent for a moment

Just thinking of those words being hurled at Pops broke his heart. Pops was a family man before anything. He loved all of his ‘children’ from the bottom of his heart, it must have destroyed him hearing those words from the child he had with his wife that he had just lost in such a horrible way. But on the other hand, he couldn’t deny that he completely understood how hurt Smoker must have been.

_Urgh, this was complicated_

Smoker was also silent for a moment but then his gaze quickly went on Ace

 

“I have something to ask you, Ace. And I need you to be honest with me.”

Ace looked at Smoker surprised; he wasn’t expecting such a serious tone of voice

 “I’m going to explain something to you, do not interrupt me until I’m done. And then I’m going to ask you a simple yes or no question and that’s all I want from you, understood?”

Ace blinked, slowly nodding his head

“It has been brought to my attention that there’s many agents of the World Government in town right now. So a small task force has been created to investigate this. The conclusion was drawn using the timing that what they’re looking for is Roger D. Gol’s long lost child before the limitation for his execution is up.”

Ace froze up, trying to remain calm. He couldn’t give himself away until he knew what the other wanted

“Now, using the information we have, we’ve deduced that the child in question is about to turn 18 and not only that, is male. Roger had hidden away on Baterilla Island in the Caribbean’s and took himself a lover, her name was Rouge. Ace, you told me your mother’s name was Rouge. Ace…I’m asking this because if the task force knows who we need to protect, we can do much better. So here’s my question Ace – Are you Roger’s son?”

 

Never in his life had Ace been directly confronted about this

And in that moment, he found himself without a voice

He merely stared at Smoker like a scared animal, not sure what to do

‘ _You mustn’t tell anyone!’_

Garp’s words rang through his head

_‘I’d kill him! I’d rip his fingernails off one by one!’_

_‘The most hated child in the world! I’d watch him burn! String him up!’_

_He would hate you_

_Hate you Hate You Hate You_

_Even though he says he’d be okay with you, you know he wouldn’t_

_He’ll hate you_

_Sell you out_

Ace could feel himself shaking

Was his breathing getting hard? Why couldn’t he breathe?

_He’ll hate you! He’ll tell everyone!_

_Demon child! Hated child! You should have never been born!_

_You should have never been born!_

_You’re a waste of space!_

_Nobody wants you!_

_Dadan’s been trying to get rid of you since day one!_

_Nobody needs you really!_

_You’re so easy to replace!_

“I-I-“

“Ace!” barked Smoker as he grabbed Ace’s shoulders “Ace, _breathe_!”

Was he crying?

He couldn’t breathe! How could he breathe?!

_Nobody wants you, Ace!_

_You wasted your time being nice to everyone!_

_You waste of oxygen!_

_But he cares about you! He would never hurt you!_

_But what if he did!_

_But he won’t_

_But what if-?!_

And then Justice hopped in place on his lap and licked his face, breaking Ace’s train of thought as he looked at the dog confused, who only whined and licked the tears on his face, making Ace sob harder

Guess he was crying

Smoker was quiet as Ace rubbed the tears on his face, his lips still trembling

“…Sorry. I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject.” mumbled Smoker, looking away from Ace slightly, looking guilty

“…” Ace didn’t even know what to say either; he didn’t think he would have reacted like this!

“Y-Yes” whispered Ace

He made his choice

“Yes?” asked Smoker confused

“Yes, I’m Roger’s son”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, all my Ace chapters lately are all ending on sad notes! Thankfully a few happier ones are ahead!


	46. -LAW – Bepo! Hold My Earrings! (This Bitch Had It Coming!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back in school! Let's see how Law is doing after everything that happened!

 

 

 

Law sighed softly as he tightened his grip around the waist he was holding, burrowing his face more into the covers and the pillows

He knew that the sunlight was peeping through the curtains and that he probably needed to get up

But right now, Law didn’t care

Since last Friday he hadn’t been able to get through a single night of sleep

Nightmare after nightmare of losing Cora in the blast, flashbacks of Cora getting shot up, the smell of his family burning inside the hospital, all of it, just suddenly came back

Since then he hadn’t been really able to eat a full meal without throwing up or leaving the bed much. He had to cancel his date with Luffy, saying he wasn’t feeling well, and the other didn’t seem too bothered by it – merely wishing that Law felt better soon and asking him if he ate anything bad (Luffy apparently assumed all things could be healed by eating and eating could also kill you)

But now it was Monday and he wasn’t sure he would be feeling better any time soon, but eventually, he knew he had to leave the house and Cora couldn’t stay away from work forever.

 

“Law, are you up? You said you wanted to go to school today? Did you change your mind?”

Law sighed softly as he felt Cora shift slightly to run his fingers through Law’s hair. Cora had let him spend the whole weekend in his bed and Bepo would come join them to hangout but as thankful as Law was – honestly he was rather embarrassed by it. There was, 16 years old, unable to leave his guardian’s bed because he was having nightmares about losing him again.

From a medical perspective, Law logically knew that he was having a PTSD episode and it was giving him attachment issues, major anxiety and severe depression. He also knew that this was nothing to be ashamed of, and that it should pass eventually, and that he would soon feel better

_But his pride was killing him_

And it was making him pissy as hell

Law cracked an eye open and was greeted by Cora’s smiling face. His hair was all mussed up; he was wearing his pyjama shirt open and was lazing around in a baggy pair of boxers. Cora yawned, his mouth looking huge from Law’s angle as he shifted, trying to sit up

“I guess…if you’re going to work”

“I’m sure if I asked the Captain, he would le-“

“No.” cut off Law “I need to get back to real life eventually.”

Cora opened his mouth to say something, but then promptly closed it

Law knew the drill by now. Cora would tell him that he could take all the time he needed to get better. That he was intelligent and hardworking enough to catch-up on any missed work. That he had nothing to be ashamed of and that if he needed time, he should take it

But Law knew himself well enough that if he allowed wallowing to become a habit, that he’d never leave the house

 

“Hey guys, do you guys have plans for today?” asked Bepo, sticking his head inside the room. Law could tell that the other hadn’t even bothered to get dressed yet, not wanting to assume just in case

Law felt bad, he had been putting Bepo through the ringer as well. He had snapped at his best friend so much this weekend for the stupidest things too. Bepo understood though, it just made him feel even shittier about himself

“Umm…well…” started Cora and Law sighed again

“We’re going to school, Bepo and Cora is going to work.” stated Law, with no room for debate possible

“Are you _sure_ , Law? Because you’re kinda…” started Bepo carefully, not sure what words to use

“You’re moody as hell and I’m scared you’re going to bite someone’s head off at school” finished Cora, not afraid to say it

Law frowned sharply at them, unable to deny it. He let go of Cora and kicked the covers off, making sure that the comforter fell on the floor and stormed off out of the room

They weren’t wrong! _They just didn’t have to say it_!

 

_“Did you hear? It was all over the news! Miss Floche got arrested this weekend!”_

_“Yeah! Apparently she’s a member of the Donquixote gang!”_

_“What the hell was she doing here?! “_

_“I heard she was trying to blow up that new Italian restaurant in town!”_

_“Whoah! No way!”_

_“Apparently, I heard that she was trying to kill a cop! But he was on to her, so he had the whole restaurant slowly evacuate!”_

_“Bullshit!”_

_“No really! My cousin works there!”_

 

Law growled softly as Bepo tried to push him away from the conversations all around them

Of course the whole school had been talking about it! A teacher got goddamn arrested!!

_Fucking stupid Monet_! Apparently Cora said that she had tried to kill herself in her cell as well! So now she was under constant supervision!

“Hey Law! Luffy should be here by now! Why don’t we go say hello?” suggested Bepo, leading Law down the hallways towards the area where Luffy and his gang usually hung out

Law sighed, he probably should go see Luffy an apologize for his lack of communication in the last few days, it wasn’t fair to him to put Luffy in the dark like that

Also, he’d never admit it out loud, but he knew that Luffy would also make him feel better

 

But when they approached the group – one distinctive member was clearly gone

“Where’s Luffy?” asked Law louder and angrier than he had planned to, but he wasn’t in the mood to go looking for someone right now

The group looked at him pretty stunned at the tone while Bepo smiled weakly

“A-Ah sorry! We had a long weekend!”

Nami nodded, frowning

“Yeah…Bellemere told me. That must have been really rough, Law.”

Law shook his head, not wanting to discuss it

“ _Luffy?”_ he asked again, not wanting to lose track

“A-Ah we don’t know! Maybe he’s with his brothers?” offered Usopp nervously; Law could literally see he was shaking

“Hancock snatched him away, saying she made him something” stated Zoro bluntly, deserving him a kick in the ankle from Nami

“What?! There was no point in lying!” barked Zoro, clearly not impressed

Law’s vision went red

The mood around them instantly got tensed. They probably knew this was going to happen

“Do you know where they went?”

“Home Ec room – Apparently she got the key from Mr.Bon” added Sanji, crossing his arms, as if put off by the whole situation

Law wasn’t sure it was because it could cause trouble or because Hancock was the most beautiful girl in school and Luffy was the one being canoodled by her – but wasn’t he dating Zoro?!

_Sanji was confusing._

Law nodded, frowning as he turned around, storming off in the direction of the Home EC Room with Bepo hot on his tail

 

“Law-!”

“ _I’m so sick and tired of that fucking bitch_!”

“Law!!”

“Ever since the fucking dance, the second I’m not around, even when I goddamn is, she’s like ‘oh Luffy, sweet Luffy, precious Luffy’ and is all over him and I’ve fucking had it!”

“Law!! Don’t do anything dumb!” warned Bepo, trying to keep up to Law as Penguin and Shachi turned the corner, Law walking right past them

“Where are you guys goi-?!” asked Penguin as he followed after them

“Gonna set a bitch straight!” yelled Law, pushing against the crowd of people as the group kept following

“What?!” asked Shachi

“Hancock took Luffy to the Home Ec room” explained Bepo

“Oh shit” said Penguin, knowing where this was going

 

Law got to the Home Ec room and opened the door, slamming it in the process against the wall; he glared at the scene in front of him – _He was furious!_

There was Luffy, eating away at what looked like a batch of cookies as Hancock was swooning besides him as he sat on the counter. She was sitting on the counter as well, leaning towards him as she happily watched him eat the cookies, going on about how happy she was that he was enjoying them. The slit on her skirt was high and could she be showing more tits?! Law usually isn’t one to judge – but this just screamed seduction!

“ _What the fuck?!”_ screamed Law, shaking, fists clenched to his sides

“Torao!” said Luffy happily; hoping down the counter and jogging up to Law to hug him tight “Do you want some cookies that Hancock made? They’re really good!”

“ _No_!” snapped Law “I don’t want anything that shrewd bitch made!”

Luffy looked at Law confused as Hancock jumped down from the counter, stomping her heel on the ground after she landed

“ _What did you just call me_?!”

“ _A shrewd bitch_! Because that’s what you are! Luffy’s my fucking boyfriend, so how about you put yourself back in your shirt and dial back because he’s not interested in you!”

“ _You better watch your mouth_ ” warned Hancock, frowning sharply

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” growled Law

“Luffy and I are in love!”

“No! He’s nice and accepts your presents and thinks you’re friends! But if you think you two are dating, you’re delusional!”

“Know your place, little man! I’m the most beautiful woman in the world! You’re nothing but useless garbage that isn’t worth the space you occupy and _you should learn your place_!”

“Hey! Quit saying mean things about To-“ started Luffy, frowning, but Law took a step forward, out of Luffy’s grip

“ _That’s fucking it_!” yelled Law, taking his bag off and handing it to Bepo “You and me, _right now_!”

“L-Law!” said Bepo, holding Law’s bag

Luffy blinked, stepping back and watching the scene unfold

“Shouldn’t we-?” asked Bepo, turning towards Luffy, but Luffy shook his head

“I think they gotta work this out.”

Hancock charged towards Law and quickly kicked him in the chest, sending him flying out in the hall

“How dare you think you’re worthy of fighting me! I will teach you a lesson!” said Hancock as she pointed down at him and tipped himself back, nose in the air “ _There’s nothing I hate more than an arrogant man_!”

Law growled from his spot on the ground, quickly getting up and throwing a punch at Hancock

 

Law only saw red

Fists were flying, kicks where flying, and they somehow wound up on the ground! He pulled on her hair; she scratched him in the face. She busted his nose, he’s pretty sure he bruised her rib. The world around Law sounded like being underwater, all he could hear was the blood rushing to his head but from the corner of his eye, he could see a huge crowd had gathered around them, cheering them on

Suddenly, he was pulled away, him and Hancock being held apart from each other and a furious coach Kyros between them

“Do you two think this is some sort of fighting ring?! You’re at school, not a coliseum! Both of you will march straight to the principal’s office – _now_! _It’s Monday morning, what the hell could have gotten you so riled up?_!”

Law’s breath calmed down and he blinked, surprised suddenly at his own actions as Kyros had him by the collar of his shirt. Law could feel the blood dripping down his face and pouring down from nose and the scratches on his face. He’d be covered in bruises in the morning for sure. Also he’s pretty sure he has a hairline fracture on his wrist.

_If Law learned anything, it’s that Hancock was one hell of a fighter._

Hancock on the other hand looked rather wrecked as well but she was still standing strong. She was also probably going to be full of bruises tomorrow and looked like she was having a bit of trouble breathing. Yeah, Law got her in the rib alright. He couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about that. She also had a split lip. Hancock’s dress was mostly ripped, leaving her rather exposed as Law could clearly see her underwear, making him feel pretty bad. But soon enough one of Hancock’s sisters showed up and put a coat on her as Hancock pulled herself away from Kyros’ grip and in return Kyros let them both go

“What the hell could have possibly broke out this fight?!” and then Kyros turned to the crowd “Anybody not involved in this, leave, NOW!”

The crowd quickly dispersed at Kyros’ warning and only left was Law, Luffy and Hancock – with Bepo, Shachi and Penguin looking around the corner while the Strawhats were around the other corner, watching as well

“ _Again_ – I’m waiting for an answer! What the hell started this fight?!”

“Cookies!” offered Luffy, making Kyros look at the three of them confused

“This insult of a man thinks that my darling Luffy belongs to him!” accused Hancock, pointing at Law

“ _He’s my boyfriend!”_ barked Law in return, getting mad all over again

“He ate my cookies! Why, we’re practically going steady!” countered Hancock

Luffy frowned, tipping his head as he crossed his arms

“Huh? We’re not going steady? You’re my friend! Law’s my boyfriend”

“Luffy?! Darling!”

“ _I fucking told you_!”

“And now that that’s settled, you’re both coming with me – now! Luffy, get to class and the rest of you too!” said Kyros, looking right at the groups hiding behind the corners

 

Law and Hancock were brought to the Principal’s office and sat down on the chairs outside of his office as Kyros went inside to explain the situation.

Law groaned, running his hand through his hair

He was feeling super dumb now. He couldn’t believe something this stupid had set him off like this. But maybe Cora and Bepo were right; maybe he should have stayed home. He clearly wasn’t in the mental state to deal with anything right now.

_Urgh, Cora was probably gonna try to get him to see the counselor again_

Soon enough Kyros came out of the office and turned to the secretary

“Call both of their legal guardians to come meet them at school right now. Akainu wants to meet them before he can decide a proper punishment for both of them.”

Law’s expression dropped as he looked at Kyros

“W-Wait!”

“Don’t even bother, Trafalgar. You should have thought of that before you threw a punch.” warned Kyros as the secretary started calling

Law was so so so dead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho ho ho! Next week we're gonna see how everything goes down on Cora's end! I hope you enjoy it!


	47. -CORA– Setting The Place On Fire Won’t Solve My Problems (But I’ll Feel Better)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter going up early since I'm stuck at home with an injury - wooo! 
> 
> So Cora's come to pick up Law, so what happens now?

 

 

 

 

“Did Monet say anything new?”  


Tashigi shook her head and Cora sighed deeply

Honestly he wasn’t expecting anything.  If Doffy’s minions were anything – it was loyal beyond a fault

“Not even the Captain?”

Tashigi sighed herself this time

“The Captain’s methods depend on the perp’s desire to survive. He makes them feel like their life is in danger, so they fess up. Floche has already attempted twice to take her life, she doesn’t want to live. She thinks that she’ll do her…er… _young master_ …’s will if she ends her life”

Cora groaned slightly, that’s pretty much what he figured would happen

“Um…Rosinante?” asked Tashigi carefully, seeming slightly uncomfortable

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t…Isn’t Doflamingo older than you?”

“Yeah, he’s 30, why?”

“Well…Monet Floche is 26…so why does she call him…er… _young master_?”

Cora couldn’t help but laugh at the question

 

“Captain? Do you have a minute?”

Cora blinked as he spotted Smoker looking fondly at his phone for a split second, sputter away and hide the phone away

_The hell was this?_

“Ah…Yes, wanna’want?”

Cora blinked again, surprised at the sudden shift in speech pattern

“I was just wondering if you had spoken to you-know-who about their lineage.”

Cora watched carefully as Smoker’s eyes widen slightly, his posture stiffened up for a moment and then was clearly forced into a more casual posture in a moment

Cora was amazed at time at the Captain’s self-discipline

“I did. I asked him about it.”

_Oookay_

The Captain was clearly not comfortable talking about it?

“And?”

“Couldn’t tell you. He seemed really upset that I had even asked so I didn’t push.”

Upset?

Not mad?

Or angry?

Or confused?

_He was upset_

Meaning it was probably true. If someone he clearly cared so much about, because at this point it was hard to deny that Ace was probably in love with the Captain, asking him if he was the son of a hated criminal – Ace would probably get upset because he’d be afraid of the Captain hating him for it

_Meaning it was probably true_

“Ah, well, considering we don’t have any better leads, why don’t we just progress as if it was Ace until we have a better candidate?”

If it isn’t Ace – _The Captain will say that’s a waste of time_

If it is Ace – _The Captain will agree to the idea_

“That was my intention. We don’t want to risk it in case it is him and he doesn’t know.”

_You liar – you know it’s him_

And then there was a soft knock on the door

“Come in” grunted the Captain, clearly he was done with the topic at hand

“Ah! Sorry to bother you two, but Rosinante! You have a call! It’s from the school and they insist on talking to you”

Cora stared at Tashigi, shocked, as she looked guilty at bothering the two of them

Oh no, _Law_

_What did you do?!_

 

“I have to go to school to talk about Law’s behavior? What did he do?!”

Cora could feel the colour draining from his face. How bad was this? Maybe he was overreacting like last time? Right? Maybe Law just mouthed someone off!

But one look to Bellemere said it all

Her face was clearly wincing, teeth clenched

Fuck, it was bad, wasn’t it??

The voice on the phone told Cora that everything would be explained once he got there. Cora groaned, shit, would he be able to head over now?

“What’s going on?” asked the Captain, walking up to the scene

“Rosi has to go to school because Law because they need to discuss his behavior”

“My bet is that he got into a fight”

Cora ended the call and looked at Smoker confused, wondering what made him say that

Smoker merely shrugged

“That’s what they always told my mom when I got into a fight at school”

Bellemere laughed, backhanding Smoker gently in the stomach

“Where you a bad kid, Smokey?”

“I had a baseball bat full of nails that I carried around, you tell me”

Cora laughed at the mental imagine and oddly this was calming him down

 

Cora quickly rushed to the school, even though the conversation with the Captain had calmed him down slightly – he still had the pit of anxiety in his stomach

He knew, _he knew_ that sending Law to school today was a mistake! But he didn’t want Law to think that he didn’t trust his judgement, _but goddamnit!_

Cora barged into the office, slamming right into the door in the process

The secretary blinked and then calmly looked down at her notes

“Mister Trafalgar, I presume?”

Cora nodded as he rubbed his sore shoulder and turned to look at the secretary – eyes wide

_He did know her_! He was sure now!

“So, what did Law do?”

“He got into a physical fight with another student. The physical education teacher Kyros had to break up the fight. By the looks of it, no charged are going to be pressed by the other student, but his behavior still needs to be discussed. Mister Trafalgar is waiting for you in the waiting area behind me. Please proceed over there.”

Cora nodded and quickly made his way to the back, hitting his hip against the corner of the desk

_W H Y_

 

Once he got to the waiting area he winced when he saw Law’s state

Cora could clearly see the dried blood under his nose, how it looks like there’s going to be considerable bruising on his face as well. His clothes looked ripped and frazzled, his lip looked swollen too.

_That idiot_

But the second Law noticed Cora standing there, his frown quickly turned to a look of pure fear as Cora looked at him completely unimpressed

“…What the fuck,kid”

Law looked like a deer in the headlights as he looked away, his face getting red

Oh wow, _is he embarrassed by it now_?

“Law. Please explain yourself.”

“Maybe…” started Law, still looking away “I should have stayed home”

“Oooh, I think we’re passed that being merely a hypothesis” 

Cora sighed, he had wanted to grill at Law, yell at him for being an idiot and a million other things, but now that Law was embarrassed by his behavior, he couldn’t be mad at him even if he tried

For now anyways

So Cora sat down besides Law, well tried to

Why are these dumb chairs so low??

“Law…”

“She…Urgh”

_She_?!

“What? What did she do?”

“She…keeps being all over Luffy and…she tells people that they’re dating and stuff…” Law mumbled the last part, his cheeks completely flushed

_Wait a minute_

“You…got into a fight with someone…because of Luffy?”

Okay, Cora knew this wasn’t the time to laugh but man oh man, it was hard

“I know! It’s lame! I couldn’t help myself, okay! She was, draped all over Luffy like a snake and was feeding him cookies! And she called me useless garbage and I just saw red and _fucking lost it_! Every time I see her she’s like ‘oh Luffy darling, blah blah’ ARGH! I just wanted to kick her face in or something!”

Cora blinked during Law’s tirade and then burst out laughing

“L-Law! Oh my god! That’s so-so Archie comic reason to fight someone! How more normal could this be?!”

Law blushed furiously but then looked a little relieved at Cora’s reaction

“Now, _you’re an idiot_ for starting a fight for something _so stupid_.” started Cora, as he lifted his hand to stop Law from interrupting him

“But I’m also proud as hell of you for standing up for yourself and not letting someone walk all over you either. But next time, how about you don’t throw a punch?”

Law sighed and nodded but before he could say anything he noticed that principal’s door opening and Hancock with an old woman coming out of the office

Cora blinked, standing up, grabbing Law’s arm, forcing him up as well and going up to the old woman,. Once in front of her, he bowed with a hand on Law’s head, forcing him into a bow as well

“Ah! Hello! I’m Law’s guardian, Rosinante! I’d like to apologize for my son’s behavior!”

The old woman raised her hand, gesturing to Cora to get out of the bowing position

“No need Rosinante. I know this one’s behavior enough to know that she probably instigated it. No harm, no foul. Whatever she got, she probably deserved it. I’m Gloriosa, but everyone calls me Nyon”

“How dare you, old woman-!” started Hancock, clearly insulted, but Nyon raised her hand to silence her

“You’re lucky the principal is being as lenient as he is! This isn’t your first offence!”

Hancock hmphed, flipping her hair over her shoulder

“Of course he is! Everyone forgives me because I’m so beautiful!”

Cora completely understands why he punched her now

“Pleasure to meet you! But still, I would like to apologize.” restated Cora

“Do you intend on pressing charges?” asked Nyon seriously, clearly on guard

“No. But I’m willing to pay for any hospital bills or medical bills you’ll need to pay though”

“Nonsense, we Kuja women handle ourselves.”

Cora straightened up, looking at Nyon shocked

“Kuja?! As in-!”

“Yes. Hancock here is the leader of the Kuja family. If we accepted help from any man, it would be a great dishonor to our family, you understand?”

Cora nodded, still stunned

Law picked a fight with the head of the Kuja clan?! Is he mad?!

“Mister Trafalgar, please make your way inside the office now” said the secretary, holding onto the phone

Cora frowned sharply; couldn’t the principal himself invite them in himself?

Then he remembered who the principal was

_Fuck_

 

As they walked into the principal’s office, Cora forced himself to hide his scowl

If there’s anyone in this world that he couldn’t stand, it was Sakazuki Akainu. Everyone had heard of the dirty tricks and the deception he pulled to get himself ahead. Everything for his own gain and he was a ruthless extremist in everything he did

There was no humanity in this man

Cora wasn’t sure who was worst; his brother or Akainu

Both Law and Cora sat down in front of the massive desk where Akainu was sitting

Akainu was sitting in his chair, arms crossed low on his stomach, sitting on the one leg he had propped up on his other leg

“I’m Sakazuki Akainu but you will call me Principal Akainu. We’re here to discuss mister Trafalgar’s completely inappropriate behavior today. We have an extremely low tolerance for fighting here at Grand Line High. Especially for petty reasons like who a boy likes.”

“Completely understandable. Fighting in school shouldn’t be tolerated.” replied Cora, trying to keep his on cool, but Akainu’s presence was making him feel hostile

And what with the introducing himself bullshit?!

_Akainu knew exactly who he was_!

“Glad we agree. His punishment will be a day of in-school suspension considering this is his first offence. He will be spending it in the small room in back of the office area.”

“I completely understand.”

“But honestly, given mister Trafalgar’s history, I personally think the punishment should be more severe before he becomes the problem he’s clearly a threat of becoming”

Cora instantly slammed his hand down on Law’s thigh, keeping him down before Law ripped the principal a new one as he looked at Akainu confused, tipping his head slightly

“I don’t follow, principal Akainu? Law has only gotten detention once before and that was for laughing in class? His report card showed that he has grades clearly above the average _so your comment is completely loss on me_ ”

Cora smirked internally as he had raised his voice when he had said that, wanting it to echo, that way even people walking by would have heard them

Akainu looks at him surprised and then frowned sharply. He had caught on to what Cora was playing at and wasn’t amused

“How about we talk about this alone, _Sakazuki_?” asked Cora sweetly, smiling, making Akainu growl

“Fine. Law, you’re excused.”

Law stood up, giving Cora a worried look as Cora shook his head, gesturing with it towards the door and flashed Law a big smile and an okay gesture with his hands

“Go, go! Get to your detention~! We’ll talk more about this tonight, okay?”

Law nodded slowly as he made his way out the door, glaring slightly at Akainu as he walked out as Cora kept smiling brightly

But once the door closed, Cora’s smile melting off his face and a scowl took it’s place

“You have a lot of fucking nerves bringing up Law’s past, Sakazuki.” stated Cora, pulling out his box of cigarettes, opening it and plopping one in his mouth, lighting it up

“There’s no smoking in school.”

“Place reeks of cigars, do I look like a fucking idiot to you?” asked Cora, taking a drag of his cigarette

“Listen you-“

“ _No, you listen_ ” cut in Cora, frowning “ _A high school principal shouldn’t know Law’s past_ , man good thing they never let you go undercover, you’re clearly terrible at it. Oh shit, you’re already undercover, oops!”

“At least I’m not naïve enough to not realize that boy is tainted goods! You’ve wasted your time and blew a mission for someone who was better off dead”

“Excuse me?!” yelled Cora, growling slightly

“You should learn to get your priorities straight! Doflamingo wouldn’t be terrorizing the world still if you had gotten your emotional head out of your ass!”

“ _I need to get my priorities straight_?! You’re fucking kidding me, right? You understand that being a Marine or a World Government Agent, your priority is to protect the people, right?”

“No. It’s to make sure that absolute justice reigns no matter what. It’s when people make emotional decisions like yours that people wound up in danger”

“Even when your orders are to murder a minor for a stupid reason like, oh, I don’t know, because he’s the son of a big criminal?”

Hook

Line

“Tsk. No wonder Sengoku can’t trust you anymore with any mission. You’re too soft, as usual”

_Sinker._

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I could be undercover now for all that you know.”

“Don’t play dumb! Sengoku placed you here to keep an eye on you but also to get rid of you. You’re dead, useless weight to him. The only reason he didn’t let you die with your botched mission is because he’s too emotionally attached to you.”

Cora snorts, standing up

“Thank you for confirming that for me. But honestly, you’re pretty cocky for a man who hired a Donquixote gang operative to teach at his own school. Honestly, if anyone’s useless here, it sure as hell isn’t me, because I caught her. But whatever helps you sleep at night”

Akainu growled, slamming his fist down on the desk as Cora leaned in, putting out his cigarette on Akainu’s nameplate on the desk

“Bye bye now, Sakazuki. And how about you don’t pick on my son, as you may know; he’s had it kinda rough for a few years.”

And Cora promptly walked out of the office, just narrowly missing Sakazuki throwing the nameplate at his head as Cora closed the door just in time

The loud crash of the nameplate hitting the door though made everyone in the office jump, especially the secretary, who promptly stood up to ask what was going on

Cora smiled brightly at her

“Now now, _Kalifa_ ~! Don’t concern yourself. Sakazuki’s just throwing a fit because he didn’t get his way, you know the drill.”

Kalifa stared at Cora shocked

Cora smirked; the woman probably didn’t know that he knew exactly who she was

He walked right past her and out of the office still smirking

That’s it, Cora was done playing dumb

It was time to play hardball

 

And next thing he knew he was on the ground, groaning

_Who the hell put a dumb bench in his way_??

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Cora has played his cards and now he's off! Next week, we're going back to Ace!


	48. -ACE- When You’re Over 100k Into A Story And Still No Sex Scene (I’m Sorry!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH! Sorry about the delay putting up the chapter! There's a big snowstorm here and it took forever for me to get home!
> 
> SO SLIGHT WARNING! 
> 
> Ish-mention of past flame for Smoker in chapter? 'Ish' because nothing gets confirmed
> 
> SO ONWARD!

 

 

 

“So you told him _everything_?”

  
Ace sighed, leaning back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head

It wasn’t _everything_ , per say, but, _a lot_

“He asked me straight up if he was my father. I had to make a choice, so I told him, Sabo”

Ace carefully watched Sabo’s body language as he pursed his lips and sighed heavily. Sabo slowly crossed his arms and closed his eyes, his face facing away from Ace

“You think it was a bad idea?” asked Ace as gentle as he could. Nothing good came out of pissing off Sabo

“Well…” started Sabo, sighing again as he opened his eyes and looked at Ace “I think you’re taking a big gamble here, but you said he took it well?”

“Yeah, he told me it was okay and that he would keep it a secret. And then he thanked me for trusting him with the truth and drove me home.”

“ _He drove you home after you poured your heart out to him_?!” asked Sabo, shocked

Ace chuckled softly

“He was always supposed to bring me home though. I think this was his way of saying ‘nothing’s changed now’.”

“Do you honestly believe that nothing’s changed?”

Ace groaned, Sabo had a point, and a good one to boot

_Things have been in this weird middle zone since then_

Not that he had many chances to see Smoker since he had told him everything, honestly. Both had been rather busy! But the texts have been a bit tense, but it felt like neither of them really knew where to go from here

Unfortunately, that annoying voice in Ace’s head kept telling him that it was because the Captain now hated him and didn’t want anything to do with him, but deep down, Ace just couldn’t believe that anymore after everything that’s happened between them

 

“Are you candy-boys _seriously_ not watching the magnificent show I’ve put on!”

Ace smiled brightly as he looked back to the glorious Ivankov Emporio decked out in a corseted outfit, completely glammed up

“Aww babe, don’t say that! You know we love your burlesque shows!” said Ace, leaning back and kissed Ivankov’s cheek

“Being flirty isn’t going to get you out of trouble, young man!” chided Ivankov with a big smile

“We’re sorry, Iva, you see, Ace has got himself some boy trouble”

“Oooh! Dish! Dish! But then as punishment, Ace is going to have to dance me a little number-! ”

“You got it!” agreed Ace readily, chuckling

Ivankov owned the city’s biggest gay club and in Ace’s opinion, he was forever thankful that they had a policy that allowed minors as long as they wore a bright yellow bracelet. But the biggest kicker about the club is that they had live entertainment which was usually burlesque. Ace had personally done a few sets for some quick cash. Nobody could say that Ace wasn’t a jack-of-all-trades!

Also it didn’t take much to get him to dance half-naked, honestly

 

“Hello? Anyone in?”

Ivankov blinked, surprised and then smiled brightly

“Well well well, there’s a new candy-boy in town isn’t there! Who’s this handsome fellow coming to my establishment this fine, fine afternoon?”

Ace turned around and saw Mister Trafalgar go bright red. He chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck

“A-Ah! H-How nice of you to say so!”

Ace giggled, he couldn’t help it at how cute Mister Trafalgar was being! Some people when they meet Ivankov are instantly put-off or uncomfortable – but Mister Trafalgar looked like he was didn’t know how to take compliments!

Oh no

_He was bashful_!

_Urgh, he was so cute_!

“But no! I was just doing my rounds and I’ve always wondered what this place was, so I decided to pop in”

“Aww, I thought you were coming here to pick up! Man, if only I didn’t have a boyfriend” teased Ace with a big smirk

Cora turned bright red, staring at Ace, jaw slacked like he wasn’t sure what to say and Ace chuckled brightly

“Ahh you’re so cute, Mister Trafalgar!”

Sabo chuckled as well as he elbowed Ace

“Ace! Don’t tease the poor guy like that! This is a Cabaret-Club, Officer Trafalgar” explained Sabo

Cora blinked, looking around in awe

“Oooh, I see, I see” but then he paused and looked right at Sabo and Ace

“…you two are minors.”

Both Ace and Sabo lifted their arms to show Cora the bright yellow bracelet

“Sweet candy-boy, we have a policy here that allows minors as long as they wear that. I wanted this to be a safe place for all people to explore their sexualities and likes and desires, where there would be no judgement. But we don’t serve any alcohol to sweeties with those bracelets and everyone is ID-ed at the door! But we’re rehearsing right now! Sabo and Ace are dearies to me, so I let them watch the rehearsal”

Cora smiled and nodded, tipping his hat

“Alright! That’s great! Ah…Do you have like, a schedule or something?” asked Cora, still looking around

Ace blinked, surprised as Ivankov pulled out a schedule from their corset and handed it to Cora, who happily took it

“Are you interested in seeing the show, candy-boy? Because I like pretty things like you and I can give you a nice little discount-!”

“Sure! But I’m not sure when! I’d like to bring my boys too”

“ _Boys_?” asked Ivankov

“Yeah, Mister Trafalgar has two sons! One of them is dating Luffy, actually” explained Ace, making Ivankov smile brightly

“ _I love that boy_! Anybody who Luffy likes is a friend of mine! Excellent, bring them anytime!”

“Great! Thank you for everything!” said Cora before he walked out, well, tried to, Ace is pretty sure he hit three chairs along the way

 

“Hmm, something about him seems familiar.” said Ivankov, squinting

“His actual name is Rosinante Donquixote” explained Sabo

Ivankov gasped, looking at Sabo shocked

“That’s Doflamingo’s little brother _?!_ That’s why he looked familiar! He was their last Corazon, wasn’t he?!  _But he’s so cute_!”

“Shit right?! I’m so confused about that myself!” admitted Ace

Ivankov’s eyes narrowed, looking at Ace

“Don’t think I forgot about you not forking over the details about your man, Ace!”

But then Ace’s phone notification went off and Ace smiled brightly at it

“Another time, gorgeous! Because I have to go meet him right now!”

“ _Ace_ ” warned Sabo, clearly he wasn’t done with their conversation

“We’ll talk more about it tomorrow, okay? We have to finish our Halloween costumes anyways”

“ _We better, Ace_!”

Urgh

 

“I hope you weren’t waiting long!” said Ace as he ran up to Smoker

Smoker on the other hand seemed a bit startled by Ace’s sudden appearance, lost in thought as he was staring at the outside façade of the Goa Museum of Natural History, smoking two cigars at once

Ace frowned slightly, not sure what to make of the scene in front of him

“No, I just got here.” said Smoker, sighing as he stubbed out his cigars

_He doesn’t want to be here with you_

Ace shook his head slightly, trying to get the thought of his head

“Everything okay?”

Smoker seemed like he was about to dismiss Ace but then stopped. He sighed again

“There’s someone…I’d rather not see, and I don’t know if they work here or not” admitted Smoker, surprising Ace

“Do you want to go elsewhere?” offered Ace, trying to hide his disappointment

He really wanted to see this special exhibit on the evolution of weapons! But if Smoker was uncomfortable-

“No.” said Smoker stubbornly “I really want to see the special exhibit. And you have tickets already”

Ace smiled as they turned to walk in with Smoker by his side. He knew that they couldn’t hold hands or anything, but right now, this was good enough

 

“Who dressed you today?”

Ace blinked at the question as he presented the two free passes for the special exhibit to the cashier

He was forever thankful that the museum was open late on Fridays

“Izo? It’s that obvious, huh?”

Ace had made the mistake of leaving the Whitebeard house before he went to go meet Sabo before his date. Izo had grabbed him, refusing to let him leave the house the way he was dressed

So he was now wearing a plan pair of black slacks with a belt and a deep red dress shirt. He had on his usual beaded necklace and had rolled up the sleeve. Ace refused to budge on not wearing his bracelets as well

“It looks really nice on you” said Smoker, flushing a little as he looked to the side, embarrassed

Ace merely smiled brightly, blushing himself

“T-Thank you!”

 

They entered the exhibit and quietly started to read. Ace felt shivers go up his spine when Smoker’s hand would brush against his as they kept reading.

Ace looked around the room, noticing that the room they were in was completely empty

He smirked

Ace leaned in towards Smoker, snaking an arm around Smoker’s waist and pulled him in

“Portgas…” warned Smoker, not looking away from the panel he was reading

“We’re alone” stated Ace, mentally high-fiving himself as he felt Smoker instantly relax in his touch

He mentally jumped for joy as he felt Smoker’s hand go around his shoulder as they kept reading in silence

Ace could die like this

“I love these things”

Ace blinked, looking up at the odd fork looking thing

“A… _Jitte_?” asked Ace, looking at the panel

“Yeah, basically back in Edo Japan, swords were banned. So instead, all high-ranking security carried a jitte instead. It then evolved to become the equivalent of a police badge. When I was a teenager… _My father_ … had one custom made for me.”

Ace blinked, instantly perking up at Pops being mentioned

“Oh yeah?!”

Smoker nodded curtly

“I prefer long range weapons, so I would personally want a longer weapon, but I really liked the jitte. So for my birthday one year he presented me with a 6 foot tall jitte.”

“Whoah! Do you still have it?! Can I see it?” asked Ace, excitedly, making Smoker laugh

“Yes, yes, I wound up taking it with me when I left. I still have it in my basement.”

“Yeess!” cheered Ace

 

They kept reading the panels quietly, looking over at the individual weapons one by one, pointing out things here and there of what they knew. Ace thanked his lucky stars that nobody had come into the room yet, allowing Ace to bask in Smoker’s body heat (the man was rather cold, which evened out Ace, so it felt like a cool mist), the other’s scent (of smoke, and leather and gunpowder) and just the other’s firm touch.

Ace could live here forever

“How did you even get these passes?”

Ace jumped slightly at the sound of the other’s voice

“Oh! I’ve been working a few hours a week as an assistant for my History teacher; she’s working on a research paper and needed a hand. So as a thank you, she got these passes and offered them to me”

Smoker blinked, looking at Ace surprised

“What are you doing?”

“Helping her collect research! It’s great! I get paid and I get to learn things, it’s perfect!”

There was a moment of silence before Smoker spoke up again

“What do you plan on doing after high school anyways?”

Ace blinked and shrugged his shoulders

“No clue. Figured I’d get a job somewhere and pretty much just keep at it with Pops full-time.” admitted Ace, he knew that Smoker wasn’t comfortable with the topic of Pops, but he didn’t want to lie

“You have no plans for post-secondary education?” asked Smoker, surprised

“I don’t have that kind of money; besides, it would be wasted on me anyways.”

“Ace, you work constantly! How can you not have any money?”

Ace frowned

_Where was Smoker going with this_?

“The money I make is for Luffy. I set up a fund for him. If he wants to go to keep going to school after high school, he won’t have to worry about money. I’m fine; I don’t need a fancy degree or anything.”

There was a moment of silence and then Smoker huffed

“This is what drives me up the wall”

“Huh? What?”

_What the hell was happening?!_

 “Ace, you’re smart, you’re talented and you’re beyond hard-working! You love soaking up knowledge and learning new things. You help anyone who needs a hand, people really like you and you have this thing about you that make people just want to trust you and be near you” started Smoker, clearly mad about something as he let go of Ace to face him directly

“W-What’s your point?” asked Ace, burning red, not sure what to do with this bombardment of compliments

“And yet, you’re going to waste that all away by being _in a goddamn gang?!”_

Ace stared at Smoker, clearly put off by the conversation

He felt like he had just gotten punched in the gut

“I don’t know where you’re going with this, Cha-“

“I’m trying to make you understand your own worth, Ace. You’re selling yourself short if you think you don’t deserve to have a normal life! I’m telling you that maybe you’re taking a huge risk by being in this gang. _I don’t want to one day be forced to arrest you, Ace_.”

Ace blinked, surprised, not quite sure what to say

Smoker looked torn as he was saying all of this, Ace was at a loss

The other clearly was saying this because he cared but…

He could never leave Pops

_Not Pops_

“Chase…I don’t…I don’t think you und-“

 

“Chase? _Chase Smoker_? It is you!”

Ace and Smoker turned around to face where the voice had been coming from and he was surprised to see a tall red headed man with an x-scar on his chin

Ace frowned instantly. The man was handsome, around Smoker’s age for sure. He was wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses and a pair of black slacks with a black dress shirt that was way too unbuttoned for a museum employee in Ace’s opinion, but his lanyard his most of it anyways  

“Wow…Chase, it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”

“Pity. I was hoping it would be longer.” grunted out Smoker, the mood instantly souring

“Hey…c’mon…don’t be like that” pleaded the redhead, making Ace brittle up, who the fuck was this guy?!

“Don’t want to hear that shit from a _deserter_ who I thought was _MIA for over a year_.” growled Smoker, clearly trying to brush him off

“Chase! It was more complicated than that!”

“Don’t fucking care, _Drake_. C’mon, let’s go.” said Smoker sternly, taking Ace’s arm and leading him out of the room

“Is he your new _friend_?” asked Drake, with enough emphasis on ‘friend’ that there was no mistaking what he meant

“That’s no concern of yours”

Ace awkwardly looked between them, not sure what to say

“Doctor Eks! You’re needed in the labs for the ankylosaurs’ femur analysis!” said a man who ran up to the group

Drake sighed, nodding as he removed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a business card and handed it to Smoker

“Please? Can we meet for coffee or something and talk?”

Smoker looked at the business card being handed to him and took it. Ace suddenly had a giant pit in his stomach swell up because he wasn’t sure what was going on here but then Smoker ripped up the card

“No. You blew it.”

And Smoker turned to leave, Ace following along quickly

 

They excited the museum and Smoker quickly lit up two cigars once he was outside as Ace merely watched quietly

“Sorry we had to leave. You can go back in and finish the exhibit if you want.”

Ace shook his head, not quite sure what to even say right now

But he had a big question for his boyfriend that he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer of

“He was my superior when I was in the Forces” started Smoker, surprising Ace with the information

“Oh…but you called him a deserter?” pointed out Ace quietly, not sure if this was the time to bring it up

“Yeah, one night he just took off during an overseas tour and bailed. No explanation, nothing. We thought he had gotten captured and we never found his body. I thought he was dead; I mourned him until he suddenly popped up in my reports and _he had just deserted_. Apparently he had enough of the Forces and just bailed like that.”

Ace nodded quietly and then frowned. Smoker had left the army too? Why was he so mad about Drake doing it…unless-!

They must have been close

Maybe they were-!

_Yeah, there was no way he was asking that_!

“C’mon, I’ll drive you home”

Ace sighed

_A fight and an awkward scene with a probable ex – what a great date_

 

Ace didn’t know what to say once he was in the car being driven home. He couldn’t help but pout though, feeling awful

As if he didn’t need to give more reason for Smoker to think he wasn’t worth his time

“’M sorry for ruining tonight.”

Ace blinked, looking at Smoker surprised, had been keeping his gaze out the window since they had left the museum, once again smoking his cigars

“What are you ta-“

“I was hoping I wouldn’t run into Drake because I knew I’d get like that.”

“That wasn’t your fault, it was mine!” stated Ace “I suggested the museum!”

“How were you supposed to know that we knew each other?”

“…Ah, true.”

“But...” starting Smoker, hesitating for a moment “I meant what I said in the exhibit. I think you sell yourself short regularly and don’t see how much potential you’re brimming of. Everyone who knows you has something good to say about you. I say because I care, I just, I want you to keep your options a little open.”

Ace blinked, surprised once more – he didn’t know how to handle someone speaking so fondly of him like that

“But what about mon-“

“Bursaries, scholarships and such? Trust me; nobody can out-sob your sob story anyways. You’re a shoe-in for all you apply for.”

“Oh yeah, what about my grades?”

“I know they’re high. You’re the dope who dumps his entire bag content on the table when you do homework at my place; I’ve seen your notes. Also, I know about the tutoring.”

Ace gasped teasingly as Smoker smirked to himself

“ _Who told you_?!”

“Trafalgar. He said that Law told him that you were tutoring some of Luffy’s friends in math.”

“Oh man, busted!”

“Also, apparently _you’re fluent in French_?!” pointed out Smoker, completely shocked, Ace merely laughed

“ _C’est ça qui te surprends le plus_?”

Smoker made a confused noise, as Ace laughed again

“I said ‘that’s what surprises you the most’?”

“I just, how can you be this much and have all this skill set and think so little of yourself?”

Ace paused for a moment

“Want to come over to my house? I’ll show you my room”

 

“Why does this place always look like a total shithole?”

“Well, the trick is that it’s a total shithole” replied Ace with a grin as they walked towards the house

Ace hoped he didn’t regret this as he unlocked the series of locks and went in. If he showed Smoker where he was from, maybe he’d understand a bit more

He frowned deeply – _why wasn’t anybody home_?!

“Those fucking! I told them to never leave the house unattended! It’s rule fucking number one!” muttered Ace as he walked in and Smoker followed suite, looking around

“You guys are squatters, aren’t you?” stated Smoker as he looked around, pointing towards the main door with his thumb “I noticed the lack of address on the house just now.”

“Yeah. If I have mail for whatever reason, it goes to Gramps. My bank account is under Marco’s name. I can’t have anything legal sent here because I don’t have an address” explained Ace as he continued to walk through the house, looking around to see if anybody else was here

“What about your brother?” asked Smoker, following Ace through the house

“Gramps for the legal unimportant stuff. When he sends away for things or non-urgent stuff, I got him a P.O. Box in town”

“Couldn’t you have just shared one?”

“Naw, I didn’t need it. Anything I order online gets sent to Pop’s place anyways.”

Smoker nodded as Ace leaned up and pulled down the rope, revealing the ladder to his room

“You’re kidding me”

“Nope! My room is up there, mister – are you coming?” said Ace with a smirk as he sauntered up the ladder

Ace would be lying if he didn’t feel shivers all over his body as he felt Smoker taking in every inch of his body as he went up the ladder

Well, maybe the date wasn’t ruined-!

 

“I can’t believe you share this tiny space with your brother”

“Back when we were kids, Sabo was living with us too up here!” said Ace, sitting down on his bed, inviting Smoker to join him on the bed, which he did

“Ace…this isn’t a bed, it’s a mattress”

“No, it’s a bed, because I sleep on it” corrected Ace but then he smiled “Why do you think I’m always so comfortable cocooning in yours?”

“I thought it was because Justice sprawls herself on you and you couldn’t resist her charms” teased Smoker as he leaned in slightly

“Oh, damn! You’re on to us! I love her so much!” replied Ace as he leaned in as well

“She loves you too” Smoker was only inches away from Ace

“Good, I’d be heartbroken otherwise”

“Who couldn’t love you?”

And the space between them disappeared

 

Ace couldn’t tell how time had past

But he was now sprawled on his back, lips locked with Smoker who was straddling his waist. Both of their shirts had come off at this point. Smoker had a hand in Ace’s hair, a good grip on Ace’s head as they kept devouring each other’s lips. His other hand was at Ace’s waist, tugging his pants down. Ace on the other hand had a hand down Smoker’s pants, gripping the other’s ass, pulling him closer. His other hand was on Smoker’s neck, keeping him close

Ace’s body felt on fire, he could feel Smoker’s dick, hard against his own and his pants were being pulled down. Ace couldn’t deny how excited that they were finally getting to this point!

“OW!” yelled Smoker, instantly breaking apart from Ace, holding his head.

Ace looked at Smoker shocked; not understanding what happened and turned his head to see Dadan, holding a huge branch

“Get off that boy now!!” screamed Dadan as she kept hitting Smoker with the branch, who could barely stop her swings

“Dadan! Stop! I invited him here! I want him to do this!” pleaded Ace, not sure how to handle the situation

“I don’t care if you think whoring yourself out is a good idea! I won’t have it! Garp is going to have my goddamn head if I allowed this to happen!” screamed Dadan as she kept whacking away at Smoker

“Dadan! Stop! _He’s my boyfriend!”_

Dadan instantly stopped, her arm up in the air, still holding the now mostly broken branch and looked at Ace and then back at Smoker, who had his arm up, to stop the hits

“What?”

“This is Chase! He’s my boyfriend!” reinstated Ace, growling

Dadan then turned sheepish as she lowered her arm

“Ah…I might have…overreacted”

“No kidding! Shit, look at these welts!” Ace couldn’t believe it; this had to be the worst date in the history of worst dates.

Smoker was never going to want anything to do with him!!

“It’s fine, Ace. If anything, this is a good thing.”

Ace’s heart sunk in his stomach

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, wasn’t it?

“It shows that this woman cares enough about you to beat up a man twice her size for your safety.”

Ace was quickly taken aback by Smoker’s comment as the other stood up and grabbed his shirt. He then stood in front of Dadan, who took a step back

Apparently she had just noticed his size and was surprised when Smoker took out his hand

“I’m Chase.  Like Ace said, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”

“…I’m Dadan, I’ve been taking care of Ace” said Dadan as she shook the other’s hand “I’m surprised you’d bother with someone like Ace”

“Oy!” yelled Ace in defiance, not happy to be spoken of that way by _Dadan of all people_

“I wouldn’t say that. I don’t waste my time with things that I don’t think are worth it.”

Smoker walked past Dadan and then pointed to his head

“I’ll be heading off before this becomes a headache”

Ace nodded dumbly as he stood up and walked up to Smoker

“I’m sorry about this, I-“

And Smoker shut him up with a kiss

“I’ll see you soon”

“Okay” said Ace, his mind swimming with joy as Smoker merely left

“What’s that guy do anyways?” asked Dadan as she lit a cigarette

“Chief of Police” replied Ace without thinking

Oh

_OH SHIT_

“ _WHAT?_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DADAN COCKBLOCKED AGAIN!
> 
> Will Ace ever get to get it on? Next week, we're back to Law who needs to have a serious talk with someone about something dum dum dum


	49. –LAW- Can the Sephora Cast Members Also Recommend Something For Trauma? (S.O.S!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law has some hard decisions and conversations to have this week
> 
> He also has some rather ANNOYING family members that think they're hilarious (But he loves them)

 

 

 

 

“Bepo said you wanted to talk me to me after I was done studying?”

Law smirked slightly as he pulled the shower curtain open, making Cora jump

Cora was right in the middle of showering, suds on his head and all over his body, standing (well, the most he could in the shower, thankfully Cora installed a hand-held shower head) right there, in all of his naked glory

He also frowned sharply at Law’s clear annoyance tactic

Law knew that getting into a fight and getting an in-school suspension was really stupid and he personally thought that the embarrassment of it all was enough punishment but Cora didn’t think so. So now he had to go to school and straight home right after for two weeks. No clubs, no dates, no nothing!

Honestly Law was a bit surprised that Cora actually had the galls to _ground him_!

 “Yes, I did.” started Cora, pretending that he wasn’t annoyed at the sudden cold air while he was showering

“Bepo said that you’ve been avoiding Luffy at school since Monday, how come?”

_Goddamnit Bepo_!

Of course he was avoiding Luffy at school! He had made a massive ass out of himself! Getting all riled up over something as stupid as _her_ flirting with Luffy – what the hell?! He wasn’t insecure or some shit! It wasn’t like he was a jealous guy or anything! Luffy was friendly with pretty much everyone – but this just, was just…just…

He just couldn’t come up with a good explanation for Luffy and he knew there wasn’t a point of lying to Cora either

“I just…don’t know how to explain Monday”

Cora sighed as he kept lathering the shampoo in his hair

“I figured. Why don’t you just tell him the truth?”

“That I was mentally strained because I had an episode last weekend because I have PTSD? No fucking way.” snapped Law as he jumped up slightly to sit on the counter, sitting besides the mirror

“Law, you can’t honestly expect to keep dating Luffy without telling him the truth”

“He already knows that I used to be in Doflamingo’s gang and I’m pretty sure he knows about the genocide and stuff” Law tried to act nonchalant since frankly it wasn’t really a topic of conversation he _wanted_ to have with Luffy

“That isn’t what I mean Law, _and you know it.”_

Law looked at the mirror and winced slightly

He needed to tell Luffy that he unfortunately managed to escape with his life, but not without dire consequences on his mental health

Law didn’t respond for a moment as he looked into the mirror, mulling it all over

Looking at him, nobody would guess what he went through minus the permanent bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and bouts of insomnia and-!

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!

He had been spending too much time outside without his hat! He had tanned! Fuck fuck fuck!

“Law?! Law! What’s wrong! You’re clawing at the mirror!”

Law blinked, suddenly noticing his own panicked reaction

“Y-You can see it!”

“See what!?” Cora quickly jumped out of the shower, nearly falling over as he stumbled forward and hit the counter instead, but held onto it, looking at the mirror

“T-The marks! I fucking tanned! You can see where it’s uneven! You can see the patches, Cora!”

“Law! Deep breathes! It’s only noticeable because you knew where it was” said Cora, but what Law didn’t hear out of Cora’s mouth was denial

Meaning he saw them too

Meaning he could see them

Meaning everyone could see them

He was going to be ostracized again! He didn’t even have the goddamn sickness anymore and people are going to treat him like a freak!

 

“What’s going on?!” asked Bepo, bursting into the room

“Law’s-“ started Cora, but was cut off by Law

“ _You can see the marks, Bepo_! You can see them!”

Bepo blinked and then squinted, frowning

“I don’t see anything”

He’s lying to make me feel better!

“Bepo! Don’t lie to me!” barked Law, now getting pissed off as he jumped off the counter

Law threw the cabinet door open under the sink and grabbed a red leather bag from the back of the cabinet and stood back up. He then put the bag on the counter and started riffling through it

“Oye! Law! What are you doing with my makeup bag?!” asked Cora, stepping forward, putting his hand on Law’s shoulder as Law pulled out the lipstick and drew out of the marks on his face

They were so obvious!

_So incredibly obvious!!_

Bepo and Cora watched in silence as Law pulled off his shirt and drew out the marks on his arms and internally sighed in relief as he couldn’t do his chest because he had to keep his shirt on due to the cooler weather

“See?!”

Bepo stayed silent. Law watched as his eyes turned to Cora, quietly pleading help from the other

“Law”

“Don’t tell me that nobody’s going to care! Don’t tell me that nobody ‘s gonna be able to tell! Don’t tell me-“

“ _Law_. Wash that off.”

Law felt his stomach sink and the rage bubbling up – was Cora dismissing his concern?!

“I-“

“Let me finish my shower and then get dressed. We’ll go his every goddamn place in town that sells makeup and we’ll find something that matches your skin tone, okay?”

In that single instant, Law could feel his breathing slowing down and the relief washing over him

“Thank you. I’d hug you but…you’re really naked”

“Fair enough” agreed Cora, chuckling

“What’s this makeup bag?” asked Bepo, surprised

Law blinked, confused at the question – Didn’t Bepo remember what Cora used to-

Oh wait, he wasn’t there!

How would Bepo know what Cora used to look like when he had met him!

“Cora secretly does drag shows”

“Oy oy! What are you telling Bepo?! I can’t contour worth shit!”

Laughing made Law’s stomach settle a bit

 

Law grumbled as he walked out of the fourth pharmacy

Why was his skin tone so hard to match?!

_Why was there foundation for 30 different fucking shades of white but like 5 brown skin options_?!

Law looked at Bepo and Cora looking through their respective phones, discussing where they should go next, but frankly, he was getting discouraged

“Oh good morning, Law”

Law blinked as he turned and saw Miss Nico coming down the street with another teacher from school, holding his arm

Right! Luffy had told him that she was married with Franky, the shop teacher and something about rebuilding a house

Law wish he knew why he never wore pants but didn’t really want to bother asking

“Oh, good morning miss Nico, mister Franky”

“Just call me Franky, kid!” said the hulking of a man, smiling brightly and gesturing grandly to himself, Robin chuckled softly

“So what brings out here so early in the morning?” asked Robin, but before Law could answer, he suddenly had Cora besides him

“Hi! Are these friends of yours, Law?”

Law mentally sighed in relief, not wanting to tell a teacher he didn’t know really well what he was doing

But he sure as hell didn’t miss that brief moment of confusion when Cora noticed Franky’s lack of pants

“I’m Law’s History teacher” explained Robin with a soft smile

“Oh! I’m Rosinante Trafalgar, I’m Law’s dad!” said Cora with a bright smile, sticking out his hand that Robin graciously shook

“I’m Robin Nico”

“And I’m Franky! I teach shop! It’s a super great to meet you!” Law watched as Cora’s face turned to one of pure surprise, looking right at Robin, shocked and then he instantly went back to smiling

Huh… _that was weird_

“Ah! How nice to meet you! Actually, miss Robin! May I be so bold, I have an odd question for you!”

Law frowned instantly, looking at Cora weirded out, not sure where the other was going with this

“Hey hey, dude, not cool! She’s my wife!” said Franky, not happy with the conversation

Cora blinked, looking surprised at Franky and then his face went completely red as he waved his hand

“No no no!! Nothing like that! Noo! I was just, you see, Law here…He had a date last night…and well, said date decided to leave… _marks_ ”

_He was going to kill Cora!!_

The bastard even had the galls to fake-whisper and hold up his hand, pretending to try to keep his conversation quiet – _but goddamnit_!

Law could feel his face becoming lobster red

“Oh my, Law!” said Robin, chuckling as she smiled

“And well, we’re trying to find some foundation and cover up the, _you know_ , but we can’t seem to find any that match his tint and well, since you’re close-ish to him, I was wondering if you had a suggestion of place we can go look”

Law didn’t know if Cora was a goddamn idiot or a _freaking genius_

But he knew that this was probably also revenge for him bothering Cora in the shower

“Oh, of course! Let tell you a few brands and places you can go” said Robin, but then she smiled sweetly, looking right at Law

“And remember Law, always use protection!”

Law was never going to live this down

He needed to stop thinking he could out-best Cora when it came to messing with the other!

 

“I still can’t believe you did that!” hissed Law as he set his bag down on the ottoman at the doorway of their home, making Cora shrug

Too bad the idiot had a huge smile on his face so Law knew it wasn’t sincere

“Now now, what else could I have told her? If anything, it wouldn’t be unbelievable that you’re getting action, let’s be honest”

Law frowned

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re hot, Law” said Bepo as-matter-as-fact-ly as he pulled out all the face masks that he had bought

_What?!_

“Oooh, which one should we do tonight?” asked Cora as he looked through them

“I think we need our face refreshed!”

“Ooh, this one has relaxing lavender oil in it! How lovely!”

“Oye. What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Well, it says right here on the package, Law! Jeez, you’d think a future doctor would know lavender was relaxing”

“Oh! We should invite Penguin and Shachi over too!” suggested Bepo

“Oooh! Spa night!”

“HEY! You clowns! Stop messing around! What the hell do you mean?!”

Both Bepo and Cora looked at him as he’s grown a second head or something

“What do you mean what do you mean? You’re hot, Law”

“I’m going to have to agree with Bepo, you’re a really attractive guy, Law. I keep having to remind those interns at the station that you’re under aged because they keep gushing over you” said Cora, looking frustrated

_What?!_

“Gonna have to beat them off with a stick, Cora” suggested Bepo, which made Cora sigh deeply, putting his hands on his hips

“I know, you think the Captain would let me put nails in my baton? Or would that be a little much?”

“I don’t know, Cora, I guess it depends on his mood”

“Stop that! You’re both just messing with me!” yelled Law, frowning

“We’re really not, Law” said Bepo, putting his arm around Law’s shoulders “You’re just smoking hot, which is why so many people at school are crushing on you!”

“Since when?!” squawked out Law, shocked

“You just don’t notice that kind of stuff! Man, we can’t even go to the mall without people constantly looking at you”

“That’s because they think I’m a freak” corrected Law, not impressed with Bepo’s deduction

“Naw, it’s because you’re hot”

“Alright, so, I thought of another punishment for you Law!” said Cora happily, clapping his hands together,

“Huh? The hell! You can’t just add them!” hissed Law

“Tut tut tut, I’m the parent! I can do what I want when my unruly child is being…unruly!”

“ _That was awful_ ” said Law, discouraged

“So you’re going to call up Luffy and invite him over!”

“ _I’m going to do what?!”_

“And then you two will have a conversation about everything. Secrets in relationships aren’t healthy, you know~!”

“ _Are you out of your mind_?!”

“Nope! I think this is a great idea! You’ll be in a safe area, Bepo and I will go hide out in the basement and if you need us, just call and we can have a code word that if you text us the word, we’ll find an excuse to ask Luffy to leave!”

“Oooh!! We need an awesome code word! Or a sentence!” suggested Bepo with a huge grin on his face

“How about ‘ _you’re both idiots’_ ” said Law, deadpanned

“Law is officially uninvited from the spa night.” stated Cora, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, hmph-ing

“I agree. He’s going to harm our chakras or something” said Bepo, imitating Cora’s actions and hmph-ing himself

_Law hated them both so so much right now_

 

Law didn’t have the nerve to call Luffy, so he texted him and soon enough, the other was at his door

Law had seriously considered just not answering the door, but of course Cora had to ruin his plans by opening the door enthusiastically, probably smiling brightly

Law was ready to completely refuse this whole stupid plan but Cora had said that if he didn’t do it – that Cora wouldn’t let him go to the Halloween party, and he had to meet up with Marco for the tattoo thing so he couldn’t bail!

_Urgh, goddamn Cora_

Law couldn’t see them from the kitchen the table, he had his face hidden in his hands, but he could hear them clearly

“Welcome Luffy! Take off your shoes and make yourself comfortable! I have drinks and snacks in the kitchen for you and Law!”

“Ooh snacks! That’s awesome, mister Rosisisi! Where’s Torao?”

 “Who?” asked Cora, surprised

“Torao!”

“Me” said Law from the kitchen as Luffy walked in with Cora

Law could hear Luffy’s enthusiasm stop short the minute his eyes landed on Law and he whipped around, Law could only assume to face Cora

“Tell me who made him sad like this so I can deck them!”

Law threw his face up, out of his hands and looked at Luffy shocked

“Wha-!”

Cora looked at Luffy surprised for a moment and then chuckled warmly

“You and me think similarly, Luffy, but Law just has things to discuss with you, okay? Go easy on the boy, he acts all tough but he really does care what you think”

Law felt his face go scarlet once again – he was hoping that the makeup would hold and the discoloured spots would not be super obvious

“Oh I know that, mister Rosisisi! I care what Torao thinks too!” said Luffy as he turned to face Law again and pulled out a chair and sat down as Cora walked out

Law watched Luffy’s face in silence for a moment before he spoke up, watching as Luffy took a handful of crackers from the plate in the middle of the table and put them in his mouth

“Luffy…About…About Monday”

“Did you and Hancock work things out?” asked Luffy as he shoved another cracker in his mouth

“Huh?”

“You guys had a fight to work things out, right?”

“What? Luffy, I threw a punch because I was pissed off that she thought I was trash and not worth your time! And she acts like I don’t exist and we’re not dating!”

“Yeah, Hancock’s funny that way! You were really cool though!”

Law blinked, surprised

“Luffy…that’s not…usually something I’d do”

“Yeah, I know! You looked super tired that day and Nami told me that you might not be doing too good on Monday either. She didn’t think you’d come to school at all, so I was really happy to see you!”

“Nami? What did Nami say?”

“That Mister Rosisisi almost got blown up by a bomb because of Miss Monet! I was so mad when she told me that I tried to go clock her right in the face, but Zoro told me that they wouldn’t let me go into her cell to do that! Who would try to hurt Mister Rosisisi?! He’s so cool! I told Zoro tho that if I asked Ace that he couldn’t probably ask Smokey to let me in, but Vivi said that was a bad idea, Usopp too!”

Law looked at Luffy in total shock, not sure how to process what was going on

“Yeah…I don’t think it would be a good idea either. Listen Luffy…there’s a lot of things I haven’t told you…I’m…not okay”

Luffy looked at Law confused, tipping his head, crossing his arms

“I don’t get it. Are you sick?”

“No, no, I…Well…sorta, yeah. Luffy, when I was a kid…I used to live with my family, my birth family…my mom, my dad and my little sister…and there was a disease that was making the whole town sick- but it wasn’t contagious! It was due to the lead that we mined and-and well…the World Government lied and said that it was contagious to hide that they poisoned us and then decided to kill everyone in the city. I’m the only person who escaped the city, but I saw everyone I love get shot or burned alive and-and”

Law tried to get the rest of the words out but he could feel the tears falling from his eyes as his body shook but then he felt arms around him, hugging him tight. Law leaned into the touch for a moment but then gently pushed Luffy away, wiping away the tears from his eyes

“M’sorry”

“It’s okay Torao that sounds horrible”

“But yeah…but, I had the sickness too, and I was going to die in three years, but Cora, he…he saved my life. He gave up a long undercover mission to take down his brother Doflamingo to save my life, to find me a cure and Doflamingo tried to kill him, but he barely managed to survive. So we ran away to here, to escape. But Monet was an operative of Doflamingo, which is why she tried to kill Cora. That’s why I snapped on Monday, because…often at night, I have nightmares, so many nightmares, and I can’t sleep…or I get really depressed and cranky and mean, and it’s…it’s not fair for you to not know that…but if you don’t want to deal with this…I totally get it”

Law closed his eyes, waiting for Luffy to say some sort of excuse, to why he doesn’t want to deal with it, excuse to why he has to go, or anything really

“Ace said that this ‘mingo guy is still after you”

Law blinked, lifting his head and opened his eyes, frowning at Luffy

“Did you listen to a goddamn word I just said?!”

He had just poured his heart out to this dumbass and that’s all he had to say?! Why did he even like him so much?!

“I’m going to kick ‘mingo’s ass so hard he’s going to never go near you again!”

Law stared at Luffy shocked as he stood up, fist clenched

“What about the fact that I have PTSD and depression and nightmares and-“

Luffy tipped his head again, looking at Law confused

“Well duh, you went through some pretty horrible stuff, Torao – but don’t worry! I’ll be here to help you whenever, okay?”

“Luffy-“

“Just tell me what I can do to help! But I want to punch ‘mingo!”

Law couldn’t stop the bright smile forming on his face

_Damn, Cora was right again_

“And Mister Rosisisi’s a spy?! That’s so cool! Does he have like, gadgets and stuff?!”

Law  looked at Luffy stunned for a minute and suddenly imagined Cora as Inspector Gadget

And he laughed brightly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Next week we're back to Cora's!


	50. -CORA- Throwing Condoms And Gay Porn To A 15 Year Old Is Appropriate, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh so much love for Luffy in the last chapter! Now we're back to Cora!

 

 

 

 “Oooh, look who’s here!”

Cora blinked, surprised at the greeting and then laughed softly at Bellemere

“Oh c’mon now! I only missed one day!”

“You missed one hell of a da-“

But before Bellemere could finish her sentence, she was erupted by a loud roar of laughter coming from inside of Smoker’s office, stunning Cora

“Wha-?”

_Who the hell laughs in there??_

Bellemere snorted as she ducked down slightly, covering her mouth to try herself to stop laughing

“The Captain…had a bit of a … _mishap_ on Friday”

Cora stared at Bellemere stunned – what could have possibly have happened?!

“You see…he ah…met Hurricane Dadan”

…Wasn’t Dadan the name of that woman that’s raising oh-!

OH

“Ohhh boy, I’ve met her briefly, she’s one hell of a woman - what happened?”

“Um…well, I don’t know the details, but apparently she ah…didn’t _appreciate_ his presence in her home with Ace, and _clearly_ didn’t know he was the Chief of Police”

Oh man, now Cora _needed_ to know what happened!

He looked around the room and his eyes locked on to his intended target

Cora quietly made his way towards Tashigi’s desk as she looked back, worrying, towards Smoker’s office

“Tashigi~”

She then turned around, surprised and instantly frowned

“No! I won’t tell you! I’ve been sworn to secrecy!” Tashigi stated bluntly and then jumped slightly as the laughing regained it’s strength inside the office as it sounded closer and closer – which means that the source was probably being kicked out of the office

“Aww c’mon Tashigi! Just tell me-! I’ll keep it quiet!”

“No way! He’s already going to be furious!”

And as if she had summoned him, the door to the Captain’s office burst wide open as Hina, still laughing her ass off, was pushed out

“Go away, _now_!”

“HAHAHAAHAHA!” Hina was still laughing; clearly she was also shedding a few tears as she pointed to Smoker, nearly choking from laughing too much

The Captain on the other hand, looked beyond humiliated. He looked like he was a volcano about to explode, his face a deep deep red, veins throbbing on his forehead and neck as he was about to completely lose it

But also, he was littered in big bruises all over his body

_Holy shit?! Who assaulted the Cap_ -

Oh no way

_DADAN_?!

“Leave! _Now_!” barked the Captain, pushing Hina towards the door as she kept laughing

“ _I can’t believe you got your ass beaten for defiling that kid_!”

“I DIDN’T DEFILE HIM!” screamed Smoker, a little too loudly for where he was and Smoker soon realized it as the whole department got impossibly silent, staring at the source, as he turned another impossible shade of red

“This is the greatest goddamn story I’ve ever heard!” said Hina as she grabbed the edge of Tashigi’s desk and leaned down to give Tashigi a quick kiss

And to Cora’s surprise, Tashigi kissed back!

“You should ease up, Hina!” chided Tashigi quietly, pouting

Huh?! What? _Since when was this a thing?_

“No way! Not when I get gold like this!” stated Hina, still laughing as she closed her eyes for a moment and suddenly there was a very serious expression on her face when she snapped her eyes open, sliding the sunglasses that were on her head down over her eyes

“I’ll see you at home this evening?” asked Tashigi hopefully

“Of course, babe. But first I gotta go kick some ginger’s ass” Cora raised a brow at that statement as Hina reached over and grabbed a gorgeous black Coco Chanel purse from Tashigi’s desk

“ _Hina_ ” warned Smoker, now having calmed down a bit

“ _Forget it, Chase_. If you didn’t want me to do anything, you shouldn’t of said anything.” declared Hina, looking sternly at the Captain, clearly not leaving room for discussion

Cora wanted to die from curiosity as he saw the Captain sigh, defeated

“ _Don’t do anything illegal”_

“Why not? _I know the Chief of Police_ ~” teased Hina as she strolled out as if she owned the place

“Trafalagar! In my office, _now_!” barked Smoker, turning around and storming back into his office but leaving the door open

_Ack? What did he do?!_

“Rosinante! Please! _Go easy on him_ ” pleaded Tashigi as he walked by, confusing Cora

Cora whined softly, he was gonna die

 

Cora walked in, closing the door behind him nervously

The Captain was already seated in his chair, taking out a bottle of Tylenol and shaking a few in his hands

Yeah, he probably needed that

“Heard you met Hurricane Dadan” said Cora as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk

He was instantly met with a glare from the Captain

“She’s more overprotective than she lets on, huh?” said Cora with a soft smile, trying to disarm the situation

And to his merit, it worked, as the Captain sighed and his shoulders sagged slightly, instantly off the defensive

_Man, it was like dealing with a dog_

_Oh!_

Now he got the nickname!

“Yeah, had that lesson first hand”

“You wanted to see me about something?”

Smoker nodded as he quickly took the pills and downed his glass of water in one shot

Like a thirsty dog!

Man, he was going to need to stop right now, or he won’t ever stop and he’ll start saying it out loud

“How’s your son? Any better from last week?”

Cora blinked surprised, he never expected the Captain to call him to ask him how Law was doing!

“Oh! Yeah, especially after the intervention I pulled yesterday. But honestly, I still feel like something’s bothering him and he won’t tell me about it.” Cora mused out loud

He kept hiding this notebook whenever Cora walked into the room! Cora wished he could just say ‘fuck it’ and go through Law’s things when he’s at school and find out what it is – but the last thing Law needed was his privacy invaded. Law needed to know that there are certain things that he could keep to himself – _but damnit it was driving him nuts!_

“What makes you say that?” asked the Captain as he sat back in his chair, closing his eyes

He was probably waiting for the pills to kick in

“He keeps coming up to me, looking at me blankly, goes to say something and then sighs and walks away. And there’s this notebook that he keeps slamming shut whenever I walk in” admitted Cora, frustrated with the whole situation

“Did you ask?”

“Ah, no” admitted Cora nervously, feeling like he was being disciplined

The Captain rolled his eyes at the answer

“I don’t know how people can stand that shit, just goddamn ask the brat. Knowing him he’ll probably tell you but he’s too chicken shit to ask for whatever the hell it is now. It’s probably something stupid like he wants a new book. For a punk looking brat, he’s a goodie two shoes”

Cora had to laugh softly at that – the Captain hadn’t known Law when he had. To anybody knowing him now, he seems like a troubled nice kid, but Cora can’t forget the first time he saw that brat and heard about his grenade belts

“I guess you’re right, I just get nervous when I need to impose on Law’s privacy, you know?”

“You said he’s been trying to tell you” pointed out the Captain, taking a cigar out of his desk and lighting it

Wow, he really didn’t care today

“Ahh true. How about you? How’s Ace?” asked Cora casually, hoping that it wouldn’t come off as an awkward question

“He’s been apologizing non-stop since Friday night. I keep telling him it’s fine and to concentrate on that damn party of his”

“Oh yeah, that big Whitebeard Halloween party! Wait- Ace is running it?”

Cora was a little surprised to hear that – Gang parties were usually a big ordeal, and to put it in the hands of a teenager that wasn’t basically an old man at heart, _Marco_ , was weird to hear

“Yeah, Ace has been working on it for months. The so call ‘party’ binder is massive; he’s constantly working on it when he has the chance. I’ve seen that damn thing sprawled out on my coffee table more times than I can count. Apparently he wants to make a good impression since it’s his first time allowed to plan one of their parties”

Ace worked on such a thing at a cop’s home?! _Is he nuts_?!

“He’s only doing the actual party portion” clarified the Captain, probably from having seen Cora’s face “Apparently Ace _really enjoys partying_ ”

“Oh? You got yourself a party animal?” teased Cora, mentally snickering – the Captain really didn’t seem the clubbing type

“Apparently, good thing he’s old enough to take of himself” said the Captain, looking relieved

“Oh wait, is there going to be a police intervention at the party?” asked Cora, genuinely wanting to know

This could be a huge bust!

Also really awkward for the Captain - _oh_

“No. But not because I don’t want to, but because it’s on private property and in a very isolated area, so there’s no legal reason for us to bust them. Just because we know there’s minors drinking, underage sex happening and drugs being sold, we don’t have any proof. And I can’t issue a warrant without that or they’ll have my ass on the frying pan and I might lose the chance to actually bust Whitebeard” said Smoker, growling slightly around his cigar

Ahh, yeah, that was a good po-

Underaged sex?

_Sex?_

Holy shit!!

_That must be it! Law probably wants to -!_

_Fuck! How did he not think of this?!_

“Relax Trafalgar. Your boys are good kids; I don’t see them doing anything dumb”

Cora raised a brow, snapped out of his thoughts

“Oh? You knew they were invited?”

“I would be surprised if they weren’t. If I learned anything from my short time in this town is that if Ace is at anything, his brother and his brother’s friends are instantly invited. And considering he’s dating your kid, I just connected the dots”

Cora sighed, he just wish he hadn’t connected the dots to this situation himself!

Now how to bring this up with Law?

 

Okay! He was ready for this! He was! For sure!

Cora groaned, holding the two heavy brown paper bags

He had wished the clerk had just put the stuff in regular bags but apparently that wasn’t done for situations like this

_Which was freaking dumb_

Okay! He could do this! Cora spent all day mentally rehearsing this!

When Cora walked into the kitchen he found Law and Bepo sitting at the kitchen table, working on their homework as they usually did during the weekends. By Sunday though they were usually working on their long-term projects

Man, he really did luck out with these two-!

Such good boys

No! _Concentrate_!

“Ah-Um…”

Huh, this was hard to bring up

Law looked up, over his black rimmed glasses, at Cora, waiting for the other to finish his sentence

Huh, those glasses really suited Law’s face

Man, he is good at picking out reading glasses, he was always pretty good at figuring out what suited who’s f-

Concentrate!

“What’s up, Cora?” asked Bepo as he looked up from the giant map he was copying out

_Was that a battlefield map_? Man, what battle is that? It looked nuts!

Cora squinted slightly, he was pretty sure that was France

No! Concentrate!

“Ahem! So, it has come to my attention that, well, there’s something I completely disregarded until it was brought to my attention today. Now, I would do this privately with one of you, but we agreed to no secrets”

Law raised a brow and then looked at the brown paper bags that Cora just set on the table

“…Okay. Uh, what is it?”

Cora took a deep breath, closing his eyes

“So, I need to acknowledge that you’re both young adults and that you’re going to want to do stuff and-“

“I thought we agreed that I we didn’t need to get the talk, Cora!” snapped Law, clearly pissed

“It’s not! Will just be quiet and let me finish my goddamn speech thing?! I’m nervous enough at it is!”

“Then spit it out!” yelled Law

“If you’re gonna have sex, you have to be ready for it! So I got you both supplies!” blurted out Cora as he quickly emptied out both paper bags.

The table now had a pile of boxes, all different types of condoms, a variety of lube bottles, magazines and a bunch of manuals and other miscellaneous supplies that the clerk said they might need

“Whoah” said Bepo as he grabbed one of the magazines off the table and started to flip through it

“ _Cora what the fuck_?!” said Law, looking at the pile, not sure what to say

“I especially bought that book there for you! Apparently anal sex is like – _ridiculously complicated_? The man at the counter explained it to me quickly and there were so many steps so I was afraid of forgetting one so I got you that!” said Cora, pointing to a big book called ‘The Joy of Gay Sex’

Bepo put the magazine down and quickly snatched up the book and started to flip through it

“Whoah, these drawings are gorgeous!”

“Cora?! What the hell possessed you to go buy all this crap?! Luffy and I are nowhere near that point!”

What?!

“Huh?! Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to tell me all week?!” said Cora, slightly horrified

_He really fucked up!_

_Shit!_

“Wow, this is like, way closer to another man’s balls that I ever want to be, you gotta be committed to get that close” commented Bepo, frowning slightly as he pulled the book in a little closer

“ _Bepo_!” snapped Law

“Sorry” said Bepo, hiding his face inside the book, but then pulled back slightly, changing the page, and put his face back in

“So this wasn’t it?!” asked Cora, feeling guilty

“No! I-I…I just…I want…” started Law, but then clamping up again

“Law wants a tattoo” said Bepo without looking away from the book, but slightly turned it, as if he couldn’t understand the drawing

Huh?

_Oh_

“That’s it?” asked Cora, surprised

“Huh? You don’t care?” replied Law, shocked

“Why did you think I’d have a problem with it?”

Cora was genuinely curious to know – did he give Law the impression that he was against tattoos or anything?

“Ah…Well…it’s not like it’s something I’ve ever heard your opinion on tattoos and I don’t know... I guess I didn’t know what I’d do if you said no because this is something I really want”

“Law, I honestly don’t think I have a right to say what you can or can’t do with your body. Unless you were like, injuring yourself of something, then I’d step in. But if it’s decorating it? I say go for it, I’ll sign it off”

“What? Seriously?” The look of pure shock and joy on Law’s face right now was so… _cute_

So Cora took out his phone and snapped a photo

“The hell was that for?!” _and there goes the cute look, pity_

“You looked so cute and happy-!” admitted Cora, ruffling up Law’s hair

Law turned red, embarrassed, and then he turned and pointed to the pile on the table

“What the hell are we going to do with all of this?!”

Bepo looked up from the book, looking at Law as if he was an idiot

“Keep it? Cora bought this for us, you know”

“But-“

“Preparation is key” said Bepo with a serious expression and then he turned the book around and showed the illustration to Law – _which was apparently about how to prep a bottom or something_? As far as Cora could tell from where he was standing

Oh, the section was called ‘ _First Time’_

“Whoah, that’s detailed” admitted Law, stunned

“Yeah! I thought it would be super useful! Since they don’t teach this kind of stuff in school, you know?” said Cora with a big smile on his face

“Thanks Cora!” said Bepo with a big smile on his face as he closed the book and started to put everything back inside the bags

“Yeah…Thanks…you’re like…the best da…” and then Law clamped up

Cora could feel his heart tighten up in his chest as he pulled Law into a tight hug against his chest

“Aww!! I love you too!”

“Ngh! Cora!” grunted Law as he struggled for a moment but then laughed and hugged Cora back as Bepo jumped in from the side and hugged them both

Once they broke free, Cora finally felt relived

“Have you checked out any artist yet?”

Now he was kinda excited to go with Law for this! Check out the studio, sign the design off, watch the whole thing go down – it sounded fun!

“Uh yeah, I’m probably gonna have Marco do them. He’s going to show me his studio in the Whitebeard mansion on Friday during the party” admitted Law sheepishly

“WHAT?!”

He was going to need to go in the Whitebeard mansion??

Was he even going to be able to get inside?? Whitebeard openly loathed and despised the Donquixotes!

_Why did Law keep doing this to him_?!

_Goddamnit Law!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL, AT LEAST HE TRIED?
> 
> Also that book is real and the drawings ARE gorgeous!
> 
> Back to Ace next week!


	51. -ACE- Fuck It, I’ll Row Back To Spain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY IT'S HALLOWEEN! Are you all excited?

 

 

 

 “Here you go, babe! A fresh coffee, made by Makino for yours truly!”

“Ace, _what the fuck are you wearing_?”

“It’s Halloween! I’m wearing a Halloween costume!”

_Sometimes his boyfriend, yeesh_

“No, I’m aware it’s Halloween. Have you seen what Trafalgar and Tashigi did to the office while they worked the overnight shift? I’m never leaving those two alone again.”

Ace had to laugh at that – he had noticed that the whole police station was now decked out in Halloween decorations with two crudely made jack-o-lanterns at the door. Ace was pretty sure there was a bit of dried blood on both of them but I guess that explains why both Tashigi and Cora had their hands bandaged up this morning

Who the hell left two klutz alone with carving materials?

_Oh, I guess the Captain_

“Aww, I was hoping it was you who got all festive”

Smoker grunted in response, sitting back in his chair

“Answer the question, brat”

“I’m Tulio from The Road to El Dorado!” said Ace, standing straight, arms spread wide as he did a small spin to show off his costume

“Where did you get the facial hair?”

“I made it myself! You should see the beard I made for Sabo!” Ace was proud of his collection of facial hair props – you never know when you need a fake mustache!

“Hnn” replied Smoker, about to take a sip of his coffee and then noticed something on his cup

“Did you leave a note?”

“Oho, you found it-!” teased Ace as he walked around the desk slowly.

Once he got to the captain, he stood behind the chair, draping his arm over the man’s shoulder, slowly running his lips on the Captain’s ear as he watched the other unfold the note that Ace had left in the coffee sleeve

“…you’re in my _inappropriate_ thoughts?” read Smoker, a little exasperated

“Just wanted to tell the truth” teased Ace, dropping his voice a little lower as he softly nibbled on Smoker’s earlobe

“ _You write cursive_?” asked the Captain, shocked

Ace would have been a little offended that his technique wasn’t working had he not seen the flush on Smoker’s face

_Man, having a pale-ass boyfriend has perks_

“Of course I do – how else could I fake the signature on Luffy’s permission slips and report cards. Nobody cares that they can’t read what it says, as long as it looks legit”

Smoker frowned sharply as he turned to look not-impressed at Ace, making the other chuckle

“That’s fraud”

“Well, maybe if we _actually_ had a parent present, I wouldn’t need to”

“Well one of your _parents_ gave me one hell of a beating” countered Smoker which Ace only tut tut-ed

“Ah ah ah, Dadan doesn’t sign anything _ever_. Besides, this is nothing, one time, Sabo and I were kids and we tried the whole two kids in a trench coat thing for a Parent-Teacher night and –“

“Alright Ace, go to school” said Smoker, removing Ace’s arm from around his shoulder “Stop wasting this costume here”

“What? This isn’t turning you on?” teased Ace, standing in front of Smoker

“ _Not even remotely_ ”

“I can’t leave anyways! Sabo’s coming to pick me up and-“

But before Ace could finish, he heard a loud cry of joy from the lobby of the police station

“Oh! Sabo’s here!”

 

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I didn’t get a good look at Ace, but you’re both being Tulio and Miguel?! That’s amazing! AH you both look so good!”

Ace left the office only to see Sabo in the lobby with a mandolin all decked out and with Cora losing his shit, clearly fanboying over the costume

“Oh! There’s my better half!” said Sabo with a huge grin – _god they looked awesome_

“Can I have a picture of the both of you?” asked Cora, taking out his phone and before Ace and Sabo could answer, Bellemere joined the crowd as well

“Of course!” they answered at the same time and proceed to spend the next few minutes posing as more and more cops came out to take their photo

 

“You didn’t tell me you hang out in the Captain’s office? I was surprised when I was told you were in there”

Ace blinked, looking at Sabo surprised as the other drove them to school

“I didn’t? Yeah, I usually spend a few minutes with him in the office before I go back on my way. I had groundwork to do today anyways”

“Yeah? How come?” asked Sabo as he lowered the music in the car, wanting to give Ace his full attention

“Because tonight, my dear Sabo, I’ve decided that I’m getting laid no matter what!”

There was a very pregnant pause and then Ace fully realized what that sounded like

“I don’t think that came out right” admitted Ace sheepishly

“Feel free to rephrase that-!”

“Tonight, I’ve decided that if I’m not getting laid it’s because it’s my boyfriend’s choice and not because I don’t want to…wait, that sounds like I’m blaming him. _Hngh_. “

Sabo laughed softly

“It sounds less sexual assault-y at least. But I get you, but don’t you have a party to run?”

“Yeah, but there’s always like this magic time in any party where everything is going kickass and the party’s running itself so I’m just going to slip out during that time”

“ _And then come back_? Why not just plan this for another night?” countered Sabo

“Because I look _really hot_ in my party costume and I came up with the best line when I see him”

“Alright, that’s fair, but won’t Marco get really pissed if you disappear?”

“Marco’s _already_ really pissed at me, so it’s not like this will make much of a difference and I’ll be back before he notices that I’m gone anyways” reasoned Ace, leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes

He was getting pretty tired of Marco being mad at him. Like okay, he didn’t tell him he was dating the Captain, _but c’mon_!

Okay, Ace just didn’t like people being mad at him

“Still mad huh?” then there was a pause before Sabo spoke up

“Wait, you think you’re going to be able to come back?”

Ace raised a brow, confused

“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”

“Uh, two major reasons – one, your pelvis and back are going to get the beating of their life because if I know you well enough, I’m assuming that you’ll be the receiver, especially for your first time and your boyfriend’s a big guy…like… _in all ways_ ”

Ace winced slightly, he had slightly forgotten about that – but he’s tough, he’ll be fine!

“I’ve walked out of worst, Sabo”

“True, but you’re forgetting one major thing”

Ace frowned, _where was Sabo going with this_?

“And that is?”

“Underneath that big old tough exterior of yours, you’re sentimental. You can’t convince me that you won’t want to stay just to soak in his presence, curled up in his blankets, running a hand down his chest, inhaling his scent, the dog laying on top of the duvet over you two.”

In a single moment, Ace turned a scarlet colour

Damnit!

_Sabo might have a point_!

“S-Shut up!”

“I’m not judging! You can’t get me out of bed after me and Koala have sex, I just want to stay there and hold her while she’s like ‘I need food’ and tries to leave” bemoaned Sabo, making Ace chuckle

“That’s so romantic, Sabo” teased Ace

“Hey man, I’m no fool; I started stashing snacks in the nightstand”

Ace laughed brightly at that

“I’m just saying though, you can’t forget the emotional aspect here. You’re going to be having sex for the first time with a man you love.”

“H-Hey, I never said-“

“Yes, you did. When you were sick as a dog, you went on and on about how much you were in love with him”

SHIT

“Well…I..”

“Just…Plan for maybe not returning and bring a change of clothes or something”

“Naw, I’ll be fine”

“It’s your funeral, Portgas”

 

“Ace, Vista wants to you to know that the last shipment arrived for the party” said Marco, looking at Ace briefly and then covering his mouth, trying not to laugh

Marco can’t handle Ace in fake facial hair and it’s probably the best thing in the world

They probably should be working on their reading for class, but bah, it’s Halloween

“Where’s your costume, mister” asked Ace, squinting his eyes

“Only at the party. You’re not allowed to have costumes that cover your face at school” stated Marco, not really looking up from his phone

“Is your stuff ready? You know, for after?” asked Ace carefully

Marco paused slightly, and then he smiled softly, looking at Ace with a bit of fondness

“I’m fine, Ace. Everything’s ready, I did it this morning. Remember, party goers aren’t allowed in the garden. I don’t need some drunk asshole causing damage to the altar”

Ace nodded.  Marco was rather private about his heritage, but every year he celebrated _Día de Muertos._ So it was basically an unwritten rule that from October 31rst to November 2nd, that Marco was to be left alone as much as possible. The guy was really private about his mourning, or whatever he did those days, Ace didn’t know, and honestly Ace never felt it was his place to ask. But it was hard not to miss the altar that was built in the back of the garden. Ace knew that Marco was originally from Mexico – but after that, he knew nothing.

Only that like him, Marco’s entire family was dead and that he was an orphan when Pops picked him up

Ace wished one day that he’d have the courage to ask Marco more about his past, but he also knew that for an information broker, Marco loathed when people tried to get information about himself from him

Deep down though, Ace envied him a bit. At least he had a culture to fall back on. Ace just always felt like he was dealing with a blank deck considering how little was known about both his parents. Which of course was ironic considering his father’s world-wide fame. But he just had nothing, maybe one day, he should look into it

There had to be someone who knew something?

 

“There you are!” said Sabo brightly, carrying a huge stack of guide books while standing besides his car. Sabo was giving Ace a ride to the Whitebeard mansion after they go pick up the last few things for the party

“Uh…what’s all that?”

“Well, I was thinking about the argument you and your beau had and I found a solution!” said Sabo with a bright smile on his face

“Uh…and it is?”

“So I snatched these from the guidance counselor’s office, it’s the guides of like, every university and college that they had in the office! When I said they were for you – they gave me _all of them_! Also apparently you’ve been skipping your mandatory meetings with them, Ace!”

_Sabo!_

“Hey, I said –“

“ _Listen Ace_! Just look at them! He said he felt that you were not even considering another future. If you look through them, he can’t say them anymore! Also, hey, maybe you’ll find a class or something that looks interesting” explained Sabo as he passed the pile over to Ace

“Sabo…damn”

There was no real harm, right?

“Also frankly, I think he has a point”

“Sabo?” asked Ace as he got into the car

“Listen, you do sell yourself short on a regular basis, he isn’t lying about that. And it’s true! You do have overwhelming potential and why shouldn’t you consider higher education or formal training for yourself? You have a right to it like anyone else”

“But what about-“

“ _Shut up, Ace_. You have the right to consider it an option for you. And frankly why couldn’t you be a college student and a member of the Whitebeard’s? I’m still going to be a Revolutionary Army member while studying engineering. If anything, you might be more useful to the gang because you’d be more qualified to do things. Just…look at them?” pleaded Sabo

Ace sighed, nodding

Why did everyone suddenly want him to do something with his life?

“You guys aren’t going to leave me alone about this, huh?”

“Nope, we love you too much”

 

Ace looked proudly at his decorations for the party, a huge grin on his face. Once they had finished their errands, Sabo and Ace had rushed to put the finishing pieces on everything with the help or whatever Whitebeard member that came in and then they quickly got changed. It was soon approaching the time for everything to start so Ace was doing a quick look around to make sure everything was ready

_The place looked amazing_!

From the cages hanging from the ceiling, the dance floor that lit up, the tables filled with themed drinks and food to the lettering on all the signs – it looked insane!

Lights had been changed with colour filters and black lights that are going to come on randomly; sound system was all hooked up, there was even a smoke machine and the best part was the show Ace had planned

Ace had been secretly practicing fire eating for the event and he and Sabo had a full skit ready

And speaking of the devil

Sabo came down the stairs wearing a blue and yellow stripped blazer, a heavily belted brown vest, short off-white pants with stripped socks and brown boots. He had loosely tied ribbon around his neck and straps and buckles everywhere with a blue top hat. The hat had goggles and a red feather – he was the ringleader for tonight’s performance. His role was the ‘owner of all the monsters’ – which was going to be super fun!

Ace himself was dressed as a werewolf – he had nothing on though but a pair of black shorts with a thick black tail sticking out of it. On his legs, he had thick furry boots that went up to his knees and furry black gloves with claws as well. Ace did though kept his usual orange elbow pad on, self-conscious about his scared elbow also because the skin there was super sensitive

Teach him to rip a chunk of off of his elbow when he was a kid

Ace also kept his usual beaded necklace around his neck and had the wolf ears strapped on top of his trusty black cowboy hat and carefully placed his hair to cover his actual ears

Ace couldn’t stop grinning as more and more of the Whitebeards came down as different monsters, ghouls and creatures from lore –

This party was going to be amazing!

_No, this night will be_!

Ace was going to make sure of it!

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added the outfits from One Piece Dance Battle that Sabo and Ace are wearing! We're going to see Law after this and we won't see if Ace succeeds for a bit-!


	52. -LAW- Let Me Get a Pitchfork and A Mask and Then We Can Kidnap the Big Jolly Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bed-ridden today so I figured I might as well post the fic early - enjoy! I'll be posting the pics to the costumes I mention after the fic again! (minus Bepo's, I'm afraid 8C Since I came up with it)

 

 

 

 

 “OW!”

“ _Goddamnit_ Cora!

Law growled as he stomped up to Cora who was holding his now bleeding hand. _Of course_ he had decided to carve _yet another pumpkin_ right this moment, as if cutting up his hands yesterday at work hadn’t been bad enough!

Law took Cora’s hand to inspect the damage

“This is stupid! You don’t need to do all of this! You’re going to work tonight anyways!”

Cora huffed, removing his hand from Law’s hold and promptly smeared the blood on Law’s lab coat with a huge grin on his face

“…That’s gross” stated Law, frowning sharply at Cora

_His guardian was a total child sometimes_

“Hey, I’m helping with the décor! Makes your mad scientist costume look more…realistic!”

Law sighed; there was no arguing with Cora when he was giddy like this. For some reason, holidays just excited Cora so much. He loved celebrating minor and major holidays and there was really no stopping him. Even though his shift started at 10pm, here he was, completely decked out as a vampire, with a silk red embroider vest and everything, ready to hand out candy for kids. He also decorated the outside and the _inside_ of the house, and Law knew better than to try and stop him – _but consistently cutting yourself when carving yet another pumpkin was the last straw_!

“Let me finish it, Cora! I see kids on the street” offered Bepo, walking up to the table, himself decked up as a mummy

Cora giddily started to fill his giant pumpkin shaped bowls with candy and candy bars, making Law look at him in shock

“ _You bought full-size candy bars_?”

Goddamnit Cora!!

Cora frowned sadly, looking at the bowl in confusion

“What’s wrong with them? I checked online and apparently these make you a really popular house!”

Of course Cora would be concerned about something _so damn stupid_

“People are going to think you’re a creepy predator, trying to lure kids in” warned Law, frowning sharply; _he should probably steal a few of those for Luffy_

Cora stared at Law horrified at the accusations

“Excuse me?! No! Let me spoil the kids! You have no idea how many I had to beat while I was undercover, let me repent!”

Law sighed; of course Cora would want to repent for such a thing

Well, at least it was harmless, all things considered

“I still think this is an insane amount of work for what – maybe an hour or two before you go to work?”

“But it’s fun!” said Cora with a huge grin, making him look like a total dope with his fake fangs

But then Cora’s expression suddenly grew serious

“Speakin of tonight though…I’m on duty tonight and I know what kind of thing goes down in those parties…don’t make me answer any calls over there, okay? If you hear sirens –“

“Bolt out through the back, make sure you’re not seen” teased Law, with a huge smirk, flabbergasting Cora, who didn’t have the chance to answer as the doorbell rung

Okay, Cora didn’t need to run to the door, the kids could wait

And there he goes, tripping and hitting the doorframe, Cora, _goddamnit_!

“My, my! Aren’t you awfully big kids!”

Law blinked, looking up from his black sketchpad with all the designs he made for his tattoos – could it be?

Law didn’t want to admit that he was nervous as hell for this party, but he was, so when the idea was pitched that they go there as a group, he didn’t want to pass it up

“Law! Bepo! You have guests!”

Bepo jumped slightly, startled from his nap on the couch as Usopp and Luffy came to join them in the living room as Cora stayed at the door and kept giving kids candy

Law blinked a few times, taking in his companion’s costumes

Usopp was dressed at some sort of pirate, with a thick, red bushy beard and Luffy himself was simply dressed in a pair of red shorts, a black jacket that was open with a weirdly drawn scar on his chest and a pumpkin on his head with his straw hat over it

“Oh cool! You’re a mad scientist!” said Luffy brightly as he hugged Law

“So we’re gonna get a ride to Zoro’s?” asked Usopp, looking around the house – Law forgot that this was the first time the other was over

“Yeah, Cora’s shift starts at 10, so he’ll drop us off along the way” explained Bepo as he started to eat one of the candy bars

“Oye, Cora said those are for the kids!” chided Law

Bepo merely shook his head and pointed to the bowl that somehow appeared on the table

“Cora put those there while you were looking in your sketchpad and said that they were for us”

Damn Cora and his ability to walk without making a noise!

 _How is a guy that big so quiet_??

“Are you excited for the party?” asked Luffy with a big grin on his face as he sat down besides Law, Usopp helping himself to Cora’s massive recliner

“Yeah, sorta. I gotta meet Marco at one point though. Is Ace all ready for the party?”

Luffy has mentioned how stressed out Ace seemed about the party – but it must be one hell of a job to plan such a big party

Law remembered the massive ones that Doflamingo used to throw as a show of power and wealth, he wondered if the Whitebeard parties were the same

He also wondered if he’d actually meet the acclaimed Whitebeard at the party as well

“Oh yeah! He spent the last week practicing his show as much as he could every night! Dadan yelled at him not to burn down the forest though!” Luffy was laughing at the memory as he explained, making Law raise a brow

“Burn down the forest?”

“Is that something he often does?” asked Cora from the kitchen as he brought in a tray filled with drinks, Law got up just in time to catch the tray as the other tripped on the carpet slightly, nearly throwing the tray in the air as he stumbled

“Are you okay, mister Trafalgar?!” asked Usopp, standing up, worried

“ _He does this all the time_ ” assured Law, sighing

“Ahh, I’m a bit clumsy on my feet, but you were saying Luffy?” asked Cora, clearly wanting to get back on topic

“Haha yeah! Ace is really good with fire! During the summer, him and Sabo do fire acrobatic shows downtown for money!”

“Like street performers?” asked Law, surprised

“Yeah! They’re really good! They’re always a hit at Buskerfest during the summer!”

“Both your brothers do pyrotechnics?” prodded Cora, making Law suspicious

_Why was he asking so many questions about this?_

“Sabo likes to do it with Ace, but Ace mostly does it alone! Everything from juggling things on fire, doing acrobatics through things on fire, breathing fire, eating fire and he even designed and built these really cool gloves that set his hands on fire!”

Cora nodded carefully and then smiled softly

“How nice!”

What the hell did Cora just confirm? Law knew that face!

_Wait!_

“Wait…All those arsons in town…of those factories and such…is it Ace doing that?”

“Wow! I’m a cop and should not be hearing that! Wow! Going to see if anybody else is coming for candy!” stated Cora loudly as he loudly made his way to the door

Law froze, shit! Did he just get suspicion cast on Ace?!

“ _It’s totally Ace_ ” stated Usopp, crossing his arms, smiling smugly as if he had revealed some important information

“Should you really be telling people that?” asked Bepo carefully, smiling nervously

“It’s okay! Everyone in town knows it’s him – they just can’t really pin him to it” said Luffy as he happily stuffed a chocolate bar in his mouth

 

“Shit! Shit!”

Law stood up, surprised as Cora came barging into the living room, picked up both Law and Bepo as if they were sacks of potatoes, shocking both of them and threw them both behind the couch

“ _Stay down_!” hissed Cora, holding the two of them down as Usopp and Luffy stood up, shocked

And suddenly the door rang, making everyone, minus Cora look towards the door

“Don’t answer the door!” growled Cora, still holding Law and Bepo down

“What the hell is going on?!” hissed Law back, pissed off

“Listen up! Usopp! Luffy! I need you two to answer the door, but you need to kick my shoes into the closet, you understand me? The shoes need to be out of sight and you answer the door and pretend you live here – got it?” instructed Cora as the ringing of the door got more insistent

Both Luffy and Usopp nodded, making their way to the door confused as Cora slightly let go of Law and Bepo and reached under the couch, pulling out a device with a small screen

And on it was a small screen – showing the front porch?!

_They had a security system?!_

“What the hell is going on?!”

“ _Shut up!”_

And the door opened

“Trick or treat!”

What the hell was Cora freaking out about? It was just two kids, who looked a little old to be trick or treating honestly, but it was just two kids dressed like a skeleton and a witch – both wearing masks

“What took you nnnniiin so long?” asked the skeleton, which was a rather big kid too

Wait – _he knew that voice_

“R-Really bad diarrhea!” blurted out Usopp proudly

“Ew! That’s really gross, mister!” replied the witch, pulling her head back, making her wavy black hair bounce

“Here’s some candy!” said Luffy, with a huge smile

Wait – is that -!?

Holy shit

 _It was Buffalo and Baby 5_!!

On the video feed Law watched them carefully look around the house, looking for any signs of them

Holy shit! _Doflamingo was looking for them_!

But they soon left and the door was closed, Usopp and Luffy returning to the trio on the ground

“Did we do okay?” asked Luffy cheerfully, not being bothered by it all, while Usopp was a bit shook up

“What’s going on?!”

“Those two at the door? They’re two members of the Donquixote gang” confirmed Cora, frowning sharply, sitting up as he lit up a cigarette

And promptly his own cloak, causing a bit of a kerfuffle as Law and Bepo helped him put out the fire

_Way to cancel your cool moments, Cora_

“W-WHAT?!” yelled Usopp, reaction a bit delayed in Law’s opinion

“Ngh! I’ll go punch them!” declared Luffy as he started to stomp to the door, quickly being stopped by Law grabbing his jacket

“No! Stop! They’re looking for us! We can’t beat them up or they’ll figure out our location!” explained Law

“The girl seemed awfully pretty” stated Bepo, peeping out the window, watching them go to the next house

“Baby 5? Yeah, she’s cute” confirmed Law as he sighed, annoyed with the whole ordeal as Cora carefully stood up and went to close the front porch lights

“Halloween is officially done at this house tonight. I’m not risking them doing a second round” Cora sighed, taking the very full bowl of candy bars and put it on the coffee table in the living room, dejected as he quietly mumbled ‘thanks Doffy’

“How come people from the Donquixote gang are looking for you?!” asked Usopp, confused that he was the only one freaking out

Law looked at Usopp not impressed for a second, but then it dawned upon him

_Oh c’mon!_

He then turned to Luffy, expression flat

“You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell him what?” asked Luffy as he instantly tore through the bowl

“That I’m an ex-member of the Donquixote gang?!”

“What you are?!” screeched Usopp loudly, shocked

“Yeah…So is Cora!” Law stated, pointing to the Cora, trying to deflect the attention from himself

Cora snorted as he started to remove his costume

“Well, if you want to get technical, I wasn’t _really_. But yeah, I was undercover.”

“Yeah! Mister Rosisisi is a super cool spy cop!” exclaimed Luffy with a huge smile on his face

Law didn’t miss the flush on Cora’s face, surprised at the compliment and then laughed softly

“I guess I am!”

“Whoah! That’s so cool, but, why did we have to hide your shoes?” asked Usopp

“Because of my size, I have massive feet, so if they saw my shoes they could easily deduce that the likelihood of me living here is high. Doffy’s probably trying to figure out in what area we live in. It’s ingenious of him though –but he made one major mistake” Law didn’t miss the proud smile on Cora’s face

“What’s that?” asked Bepo

“ _He used my idea_. Doffy has this bad habit of assuming that I’m an idiot. One time, when Law and those two were being total brats, I compared you three in a text to Lock, Shock and Barrel from the Nightmare Before Christmas and-“

“The skeleton, the witch -!”

Shit! Cora had figured it out so fast!

“ _Exactly_. This is why having youngsters in a gang is so efficient, nobody expects kids to do intel runs, but honestly, on days like Halloween? It’s perfect! When I saw the two of them coming up the walk, the memory popped into my head and their builds matched up what Baby 5 and Buffalo’s would be, so I didn’t want to take any chances” explained Cora as he sadly undid his vest

“Whoah mister Trafalgar! You figured all that in like, a moment!” stated Usopp in awe

“Yeah! Cora’s amazing like that!” said Bepo proudly, making Cora blush

“You’re not going to strip in the living room are you?” warned Law, before Cora forgot they had guests

Cora froze and then looked down. He then laughed nervously

“Oops! Sorry! A little distracted there! I’m going to get changed and then drive you kids over, okay?”

Law nodded as he watched Cora go up the stairs

“So…are these people always coming after you guys? What did you do?” asked Usopp

“Simple – _we left_. Nobody leaves the Donquixote gang alive, so Doflamingo apparently is trying to get us back”

More like _me_ back

But Usopp didn’t need to know that right now

Law frowned again, turning to look at Luffy

“Any reason you didn’t tell Usopp about this?! I thought you were going to relay it to your gang members!”

Luffy blinked, a chocolate bar in his mouth as he crossed his arms and tipped his head

“Was I supposed to?”

“Yes Luffy!! This is important info that we need to know!!” yelled Usopp, frustrated

“Oh! Sorry!”

“No, _not sorry_! I’m so telling Nami about this and you’re going to get an earful!”

“Ack! No! Don’t tell Nami! Noo!”

Law groaned, watching the spectacle in front of him _, was Luffy really a gang leader_?

_His boyfriend was honestly a real dope_

 

“Alright everyone, you ready to go?” asked Cora as he came down the stairs in his police uniform

“Sure are! Zoro said that his dad is excited to meet you!” said Luffy brightly as if the two were going to be great friends

Annd there went the colour in Cora’s face

_Wait_

_He was going to meet Mihawk Dracule?!_

 

__

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! We're gonna continue with Cora next week!


	53. -CORA- When You're Meeting the Vampire King and You're Not a Pretty Damsel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY EVERYONE! It's this fic's one year anniversary!! Thank you so much everyone who's been here from the beginning and those who came in half-way and those who have just came in! Thank you so much! It's nerve wrecking to post a fic and put yourself out there but I'm really happy and glad for everyone who gave this fic a chance and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it!
> 
> (technically it was LAST Sunday, but uh, I didn't notice
> 
> EDIT: Thank you Rescue_Remedy for pointing out a spelling mistake! Much appreciated!

 

 

“Did you have cool gadgets and stuff??”

Cora sighed internally as he kept driving to the Dracule estate

Ever since Usopp found out that Cora had been a spy, he has been bombarding the other with questions during the entire ride. Apparently Usopp had a love of gadgets and glorious stories but Cora didn’t feel like he had done anything _that incredible_

But apparently when Usopp was enthusiastic about something – Luffy would also get swept away by the enthusiasm which made it worst

Basically, he was afraid of looking lame in front of Law and Bepo’s friends

“Well…No cool spy gear per say, but I did have access to a huge variety of weapons” admitted Cora

“Oh! That’s still really cool! Did you ever go undercover and stuff??” asked Usopp enthusiastically

“Yeah? Yeah?” asked Luffy as well, a massive grin on his face

Law looked annoyed as he looked outside of the window, frowning

Cora didn’t want to draw attention to Law by asking him why he was in a bad mood, but he also wanted to know, so he gently elbowed Bepo that was sitting in the passenger seat. The other looked at him, waiting to know what the other wanted from him.

Bless Bepo for not verbally asking _, man that kid was good with cues_

 Cora quickly gestured back with his thumb, towards where Law was sitting. Bepo looked back discreetly, noticed the mood the other was in and quickly sent off a text to Law

_Man, Bepo was the best ally anyone could ever have_

“Of course I did! I spent most of my military career undercover actually. It’s how I met Law” answered Cora happily, always happy to think that one led to the other

“You met Law undercover?” Usopp looked at Law surprised, only to be glared at in return by Law, causing Usopp to ‘eep’

“Uh huh. And I liked him so much, that I took him home with me-!” teased Cora, grinning brightly as he noticed the flush on Law’s cheeks in the rear-view mirror

“Is that how it works, Cora?” said Bepo, grinning

“Of course! I take orphans in that I like-!”

“Ahh! Take me then! Take me!” said Usopp, laughing and lifting his hand

“Me too! Me too!” replied Luffy, joining in to the shenanigans, laughing as well

Cora didn’t miss the small smile on Law’s face for a moment, but then he frowned again, glaring at the two

“No! Cora doesn’t need two more mouths to feed!” scolded Law, making Cora and Bepo laugh

“Aww c’mon Law! Let me take in more kids!” said Cora with a teasing whine

“No! It’s forbidden!”

Bepo then nudged Cora’s shoulder and discreetly showed him his phone, showing the message he got from Law

 _Aww_ , apparently Law’s still a little ticked that Luffy hadn’t told his friends about him

“Oh! When is Shachi and Penguin joining you guys?” asked Cora, a little surprised to not see the others in the car (not that his car could fit the two extra bodies)

“They’re joining us at the party, apparently they had a family thing tonight first” explained Law from the back

“Family thing?” asked Luffy as he leaned in towards Law and nuzzled him softly, making Law blush furiousy

“Yeah, they’re cousins. So they usually wind up stuck together for stuff like that” added Bepo, looking around “ _Urgh, this part of town is so creepy_ ”

Bepo had a point, the weather weirdly shifted and a thick fog came out of nowhere. What the hell was up with this decrepit park?!

“You’re going to need to go around the park, Cora. There’s like, this big metal gate – oh! It’s right over there! At 10 ‘o’clock!”

Bepo was such a goddamn magnificent navigator

“Oh! I see it! Okay!”

Cora started to drive to the gate and could feel the goosebumps on his arms rising up - this place was _freaking creepy_!

He then drove up to the gate and saw a little intercom on the side and pressed the button, hearing a female voice come through

“ _Who is it?”_

“Hello, I’m here to drop off a bunch of Zoro’s friends” said Cora, hoping that was the right answer

“ _Okay. Come on in_ ” said the voice as it cut off, the gate slowly opening with a loud creaking noise

_Yeah, he didn’t want to be here ever_

Cora drove up to the front door and pulled over. As everyone got out of the car, the main doors opened, revealing …a gothic Lolita?! Uh…a royal looking Lolita?

“Everyone’s already inside! So get to it!” said the girl, Cora recognized the voice from the intercom! She put her hands on her hips, and then she pointed to Cora

“You must be the Donquixote guy!” said the girl, looking annoyed

Cora stood there frozen

Oh shit

Oh shit

 _Oh SHIT_!

“Uh…” answered Cora, not sure he wanted to admit to that

“Nuh uh, _this is Mr.Rosinante_! He’s named after a character from that Donquixote book!” corrected Luffy

“Whatever, Papa wants to see you in the den! He said he has things to discuss with you!” and then the girl stuck her hand out, towards the chocolate box that Cora was holding

 _Was she asking for it_?!

Cora smiled gently, handing it over to the girl

“Thank you so much for having my sons over to your house”

“Bah, they’re the dope’s friend! Well, minus Law, he can come over anytime~” said the girl sweetly, making Law roll his eyes

“I’m dating Luffy, Perona” stated Law bluntly, rolling his eyes as he walked past her, inside the house

“Like being alive, many things in life are merely temporary” replied Perona as she looked at Luffy, not impressed, who merely smiled brightly, following Law inside the house

Everyone walked inside but Bepo, who stood beside him, as Cora also stayed behind

“This place is creepy” stated Bepo, looking slightly terrified

 “I don’t want to meet Mihawk” admitted Cora, slightly shaking

“You gotta Cora”

“Yeah, urgh, if you hear me screaming-“

“We’ll come rescue you!” swore Bepo, making Cora smile

 

Cora looked around the house in awe. The place was beautiful but just, _really goddamn creepy_. It looked so antique and gothic and _auuurghghh_. All of Law’s friends were there, happily snacking on candy and chips, chatting away in costume as they sat around the living room. It was nice to see them all together, minus the two boys missing

“How are you guys getting to the party?” asked Cora, trying to delay going to the den

“We’re going to walk, it’s not far from here and we’re going to soak in the night and look at decorations and stuff” explained Law as he and Luffy apparently shared a massive throne chair

“Okay, if you need a ride home after, call me, okay?”

But before Law could answer, Perona came back into the room, hands on her shoulders. Cora noticed this big bear of a guy behind her

“Hey! I thought I told you that Papa was waiting for you in the den? His time is precious, you know!”

Cora groaned softly

_Busted_

 

Cora carefully made his way into the den, quickly noticing the two Rottweilers resting on the floor besides a massive red velvet throne chair with black wood finish and by the window was standing a tall man, sipping a glass of wine, looking out the window

“A-Ah, hello?”

The man turned around and Cora instantly felt his blood go cold

Here was Mihawk Dracule in front of him

_Holy shit he was going to piss his pants_

 “Ah, about time. Do you want some wine?” offered Mihawk, walking up to a cellaret and pulled out a bottle and a crystal wine glass

“Ah! No, thank you! I’m heading off to work after this” Cora would have liked to, to be polite, but he would be an awful cop if he did

“Is water fine then?”

“Ah, yes!” Cora graciously accepted the glass, nervous to drop it because it was really a beautiful glass

“I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, Donquixote. But it was hard to approach you while you were running around with that deplorable brother of yours and afterwards, I never had the chance when you relocated here” admitted Mihawk as he sat down in the throne chair, sipping his wine and gestured with his free hand, to the chair facing his

Cora blinked, surprised to have heard that as he took the offered chair and sat down

_Mihawk’s been wanting to meet him for years then?!_

“Oh? I…I didn’t think of myself as someone that interesting to meet” admitted Cora, looking at the water in his glass, feeling beyond nervous

“It’s more because you seemed awfully more level headed than your brother. I figured that I could have an actual conversation with you rather than an attempted one with that pink buffoon of yours.”

Cora had to snort at all the ways Mihawk had insulted his brother so far, he knew it was childish, but he was enjoying it

“Ah, well _, I’m not like_ _him_.”

“Clearly. So I have to ask, now that I have you here. What exactly is his endgame?”

Cora looked at Mihawk surprised. Honestly, it seems to be the question nobody asked when it came to his brother but the one they probably should ask

“Honestly? He just wants to see the world burn. He wants to inflict suffering to as much people as he can for all the suffering we had to endure as children” Cora sighed slightly, once again wishing he could have done something

“Ah. And you, for some reason, turned to the World Government instead? How odd” noted Mihawk, clearly digging for more information

“I ran away from Doffy when he killed our father when I was really young. I was picked up and raised by Sengoku” Cora didn’t feel the need to really hide anything from Mihawk, at this point it was useless

“Which leads to my next question for you; what is _your_ purpose in this city? For a very long time, Goa was free from the World Government presence. Which is why it was an excellent base, but now I admit I resent that your presence will bring fourth your brother and the World Government.”

Cora was sure he just lost five years of his life with the glare that Mihawk was giving him now

“You’re right. Doffy is coming for me. He resents the fact that I’m still alive after I betrayed him…and also he’s after my ward. But, I’m terribly sorry if your children might be endangered by this but I swear, I didn’t pick this location! Sengoku placed me here in hopes of keeping me safe since it’s well known that you, Red Hair and Whitebeard despise Doffy!”

Cora now felt horrible – he hadn’t really thought about how he was endangering all of these kids. How many parents must resent him or might come to resent him if anything happened!

“You misunderstood me” said Mihawk, scoffing “If my wards are unable to overcome their adversaries, that isn’t my problem. I have always insisted on them making themselves as strong as possible and if they fall short, that’s their shortcoming”

Cora stared at the other, completely shocked

_How can he be so blasé about the safety of his own kids?!_

“Honestly I’m just irritated about the trouble it’s going to cause. I’m not looking forward to a gang war. Unfortunately, I have made some arrangement so that the World Government leaves me alone. But that also came at a price, and I’d rather not get involved in a massive feud unless I don’t have a choice”

Cora paused at what Mihawk said and his jaw dropped slightly. _He had forgotten about the Warlord Program_! Was Mihawk part of it?! It would explain why he had been left alone for so long considering how much of a public figure he was!

 _Shit_!

Cora had never really paid attention to that program, because it went against his personal belief. Now he deeply regretted it – he wish he knew who exactly was on that list! All he knew is that there was…seven of them?

Aww fuck. Mihawk didn’t seem like the type that would give names either

“I think it might be inevitable at this point. But I don’t think it’s because of me” admitted Cora, wanting to see how much the other actually knew

“No. I agree with you on that. I don’t think Sengoku would bring in such a high number of World Government Agents for you. They don’t seem to really be concerned with that brother of yours either”

“Oh, you’ve noticed too?” asked Cora, a little surprised

“Considering it seems to be something you noticed as well, I’m going to assume that you’re not in on the operation. But yes, I noticed. I have eyes all over town. There’s nearly nothing that goes on here that I’m not aware of”

Hence the nickname ‘Hawk Eyes’, Cora supposed, but _also probably his creepy-ass eyes_

“I’m surprised you’re able to do that with our current mayor” pointed out Cora, Eneru didn’t seem to be the type that enjoyed being watched

“He might not be mayor for much longer if your Captain’s plan succeeds”

Cora stared at Mihawk completely shocked

_What the hell was this?!_

_What plan?!_

“What are you talking about?” but then Cora looked at his watch, surprised – shit! It was this late already?!

“I-I have to go! Oh my god, I’m going to be late for my shift!” Cora put the glass down on the table in front of him and bowed deeply as he stood up

“Thank you very much for your hospitality; it was a pleasure meeting you!”

Mihawk nodded slightly, taking a sip of his wine

“You as well, younger Donquixote”

“A-Ah! Rosinante! My name is Rosinante!” Cora winced, feeling like an idiot for never having introduced himself

“Of course, Rosinante. Now get going before you’re late” said Mihawk as Cora quickly left the room, bashing into the door frame in the process

 

Cora’s mind was spinning in the car as he drove to the station. He felt like he had a million and one questions now and no real answers

 _Mihawk was part of the Warlord Program_?

That would actually make sense – he was a notorious CEO of Dracule Enterprise and the World’s Greatest Swordsman! He was friends with Red Hair Shanks as well – how the hell was the World Government not all over him unless he already had an agreement with them?!

_Wait_

What other notorious public figures did he know that the World Government should be all over but aren’t?

There was the famous horror movie direction – Moriah Gekko? But he disappeared a while back?

Crocodile Zero, the dictator of – wait! Isn’t it Alabasta? Isn’t that where that girl in Law’s class was from?

Weird

Also there was that guy called Jinbei, but Cora didn’t know much about him

Maybe the Kuja gang as well? That would make sense considering how nobody dared to cross them in town even though it wasn’t because of sheer numbers or anything like the Whitebear gang?

But could his brother be one too? It would explain why since he was shot down by Doffy that nobody has made any real efforts to go after him

If Sengoku had offered a position in the Warlord program to his brother, _he was going to be furious_!

And then there was one other question he had, but he had to ask someone very particular for that answer

 

Cora walked into the quiet police station and looked around and spotted a few familiar faces but now that he thought about, there was one he hadn’t seen in a while

“Hey Tashigi, weird question – is the Captain in his office?”

Tashigi blinked, looking up happily but then she frowned

“What’s wrong? You look stressed?”

“I’ll explain after, okay? But now I need to catch the Captain before he leaves”

He really didn’t have time to chit-chat

“Yes, but he’s about to leave”

“Thank you, Tashigi” Cora bolted his way to the office, knocking on the door a little harder than he meant to

“Come in” said the voice inside, not sounding impressed

Cora quickly made his way inside the office, closing the door behind him. Smoker looked at him, raising a brow as he put on his leather jacket

“What?”

“I noticed that Wiper hasn’t been around lately, where is he?”

Cora wished that his question hadn’t sounded so much like a demand

“He’s working a job for me” admitted the Captain, grabbing his briefcase

“What kind of job?” _was Mihawk right_?

“Let’s just call it a town trash-cleanup project”

Was Smoker plotting to get rid of the Mayor?! Wiper did seem to absolutely loathe the Mayor, it would make sense!

 _Mihawk was right_!

“What’s with you anyways? Since when do you come into my office and make demands for information?” replied Smoker, sticking a cigar in his mouth

“I had a…brief meeting with Mihawk today, found out some things”

Smoker paused, frowning

“ _What kind of thing_?”

“About the Warlord Program”

“I fucking hate that hypocritical project to death” spat out Smoker, clearly pissed

“Same, so I never paid it much mind. Any idea who are the people in it?” asked Cora, a little hopeful

“Nope. But Hina will know, I can ask her”

 _Jackpot_!

“Would you? I’m beginning to suspect that my brother might be on that list”

Smoker paused, grinding his teeth hard enough to split his cigar in half as he growled loudly

“WHAT?!”

“That’s the impression I got from Mihawk, I hope I’m not right”

“I’ll ask her and get back to you” said Smoker as he sighed, taking the cigar bit out of his mouth and throwing it in the trash

“So, what are your plans for tonight?” asked Cora, now wanting to change the mood – it won’t do him any good to make the Captain leave angry

“I’m going home to relax. The trick-or-treaters should be done by now, so I’ll be left alone”

“That sounds really nice, I’ll let you be on your way” said Cora as he backed up, opening the door and getting ready to step out, but the Captain walked forward, walking out with Cora

“Thanks for the tip, Trafalgar. I hope you’re wrong, but if you’re not, it explains a lot”

“Yeah, and Sengoku has a lot to explain to do to me” murmured Cora, pissed off

_He hoped with every fiber of his being that he was wrong_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh Cora, can't have a chapter without trouble, but now we're going right back to the party next week with Ace!


	54. -ACE- Spooky Scary Skeletons (Never Thought This Would Get Me Going)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright it's party time! Lots going on in this chapter!

Ace couldn’t help but smile brightly at the scene below him

The party area of the house was completely packed!

There were people of all kinds, dressed in costumes from a pizza slice to the Queen of Hearts dancing up a storm, chatting up a storm and all sorts of other things. Ace couldn’t believe the wild success of his party!

Ace let the music and the beat of the music overwhelm his senses as his body moved along to it. He closed his eyes, feeling safe in the metal cage as he kept dancing. Ace twirled around and opened his eyes, smiling brightly at the scene at the end of the room. There was Pops, sitting in his massive red velvet throne chair, drinking the night away as his boisterous laugh echoed through the room. His nurses stayed around the man, all dressed as variations of different animals

It was funny that people kept eyeing Pops and yet didn’t dare approach him. Ace always found that pretty hilarious considering that Pops was actually really warm and friendly – especially when he was drinking

 “Happy with your party?”

Ace blinked, turning towards Izo, still smiling brightly. Izo’s costume was really great! Ace had asked all the Whitebeards to dress as ghouls, monsters and ghosts of all kinds and Izo had come through for sure! At first look – you couldn’t tell, he was wearing a beautiful kimono, his hair was done up but looked messy, but carefully placed messy and was carrying a pair of scissors. But the best part was the surgical mask – whenever people asked him who he was, Izo would ask “Do you find me beautiful?” If the person answered yes (which they always do because _look at him_ ) he would tear off his surgical mask, revealing the Glasgow smile with realistic looking teeth he had done to his face and then ask them the question again – It was super creepy and really great! Izo told him that the legend was called _Kuchisake-onna_ and that there was a recent movie about her. Ace had made Izo swear that they would watch it together soon because _damn_

Izo was currently dancing in the cage next to Ace, lifting a delicate brow, waiting for Ace’s answer

“Absolutely! Look how great everything is going! But I think I’m going to go do a round – it is my own party, after all!”

Izo chuckled softly

“Going to go look for your brother?”

Ace shrugged and sheepishly smiled

“Hey, it’s getting late and he’s not here yet!”

“And you don’t want to be too late getting to the Captain’s house either. It would be a shame if you got yourself all ready and he was asleep”

Ace flushed a bit at Izo’s implications. But he had to tell the other about his plan because he needed very specific supplies for prep and stuff and had no way of getting them subtlety – but Izo did. Hence why he asked the other for help

“Ah…yeaah. So I want to at least say hello before I go”

“Alright” said Izo as he kept dancing

Ace was starting to get out of the cage and Izo started to speak again

“Remember Ace, communicate your needs and make sure that you are experiencing pleasure as well. Don’t be quiet and just take it if it’s hurting you. He is older and more experienced – he should be taking care of you. Nothing’s worst than a man that’s selfish in bed”

Ace blushed brightly at Izo’s words, nodding as he opened the cage and jumped back onto the small ledge and climbed down, back to the party

 

Ace smile grew even brighter as he noticed everyone around him. He swears the whole school was here! Ace saw Nojika dressed as a rad mermaid, Penguin and Shachi were some sort of ghouls and then there was-

Ace instantly saw red

Right in front of him, about twenty people down, was that redhead that ruined his date at the museum! What the hell was he doing here?! The man had a black eye patch and was dressed as some sort of leather Zorro?!  Why was he here?! Nobody was allowed in this party if they’re not on the goddamn list?!

Ace was about to storm over and demand that he leaves but then he froze

If the man was here – _it was because he was allowed here_

And if he was allowed here – _that means that he was on the list_

Marco made the list

_Fuck_

Ace turned around, looking through the crowd for a very distinctive Marco – but somehow had no luck.

_How the hell was it hard for him to find Ma-_

And there he was, perched on the side of Pop’s throne chair, whispering in the other’s ear – well, the best he could right now

“Marco!”

Marco turned his head, turning to look towards Ace with his massive leather beak. The other had chosen to be a plague doctor for the party and frankly, it was a good choice. Marco moved quietly through the crowd so people never expected him behind them and it scared them shitless

“You need me?” asked Marco, hoping off the chair and going up close to Ace – Marco knew he had to get close to someone to be heard because of the mask

“Yeah, I’m wondering why someone in particular is here”

“Who?” asked Marco, looking through the crowd; it was weird not to see Marco’s eyes

“Redheaded leather bitch Zorro”

“Oh, you mean Drake. Of course he’s here. Why wouldn’t he be here?” asked Marco curiously

“Can we talk somewhere private?” asked Ace; Marco nodded his beak as they went up the stairs towards Marco’s room

 

“So what’s your problem with Drake?” asked Marco, taking off the beak one they got to his room. Ace could see how sweaty and hot Marco was getting under there and probably appreciated the breather

“He’s-!” _Wait, what was his problem with Drake?_ Aside from _maybe_ being his boyfriend’s ex?

“Well?” Marco sighed, clearly not amused with the whole situation

“I just…he’s a museum curator? I don’t get why he’s here at a Whitebeard party” offered Ace, hoping it didn’t sound as hostile as he felt

Marco looked at Ace surprised

“You don’t know?”

“Don’t know _what_?” _What could he possibly not know?_

“He’s the leader of the Diez gang? We’re talking about Drake Eks, right?”

Ace could only look at Marco completely stunned

“What?! He’s a gang leader?!”

Marco nodded, sighing

“Yeah, all the major gang leaders in the neighbouring areas are here, allied or otherwise. Of course nobody from any gang we refuse to associate with. But this party _is_ basically a massive potlatch”

“Potlatch?” asked Ace, once again confused. Marco sighed again, putting his arm around Ace’s shoulder and lead him out of Marco’s room and up to the balcony of the staircase where they could oversee the party

“Yes. A potlatch is a very specific type of party. The idea is really to show wealth and power through generosity. Basically by inviting all these gang leaders here, we’re showing them the strength and power of the Whitebeard gang. And don’t worry, they’re all being watched and tailed and kept away from Pops in case they try anything funny. Especially that one over there” said Marco, pointing to another redhead that Ace didn’t know

“What’s up with him?”

“Likes to start fights and kill people. I’m not risking it.”

“Huh” said Ace, frowning as he leaned over the banister, looking at Drake once again

“So, what did Drake do? Anything to do with your museum date?”

Ace jumped slightly, surprised that Marco connected the dot, then he sighed

“Yeah. Chase and Drake got into a fight. Seems they knew each other”

“Hmm, I suspected they had been together during their time in the military” said Marco quietly

Ace’s stomach sunk

“Why would you say that?” hissed Ace

Ace wish he hadn’t sounded so pathetic as he said that

Marco gave Ace a look, raising a brow

“You have nothing to worry about. Who in their right mind would dump you for _that_ ” said Marco, gesturing towards Drake with his thumb

Ace smiled, blushing slightly

“Besides, we’ll just torch his house if the Captain ever hurts you, Pop’s son or not”

“Marco, oh my god, no”

“Ace? You ready?”

Ace looked down the stairs and spotted Sabo coming up, he grinned from ear to ear, it was show time!

 

“Dearest guests! Welcome to the most incredible show in the world! I have traveled all over the world and have met the most incredible monsters, ghosts and ghouls from all over the world and they wish to share their wonderful abilities with you-!”

Ace grinned brightly watching from behind the scenes as the show started, waiting for his queue as he watched the others perform before him

“And now – we have my greatest performer, a wolfman from the Caribbean isles who plays and masters fire-!”

Ace came from behind the curtain, swinging a small ball of wire on a chain. He swung the chain around him, jumping over the chain as if came by, hamming up the jumps, making sure his tail didn’t catch in the flames. Back on the ground, Ace pulled out a retractable staff and lit up both sides of the staff and continued his acrobatics after throwing the ball into a nearby bucket of water. Ace jumped around, twisting and turning the staff around himself

There was just something about fire that put Ace at peace

Whether it’s when he’s looking at it, playing with it or destroying with it – he just felt it was his place in the world to be with fire

Thankfully it wouldn’t be too hard for anyone to figure out what to do with his remains when he died

Towards the end, Ace snapped the staff together, making a torch and tipped his head back. Ace felt goosebumps as he heard the collective gasp of the audience as he put the torch in his mouth – extinguishing the flame and all the lights closed

“Huh, it’s gotten a little dark in here” said Ace with a grin on his face

With the fuel ready, Ace blew fire onto a different torch,

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, making Ace feel thrilled

Maybe he was more of an exhibitionist than he thought, _because this was getting Ace going for sure_!

The lights came back on and Ace took a bow with everyone and soon enough, the party went back on

 

Ace washed out his mouth in the bathroom, knowing very well that the taste would stay with him for a bit

Sabo came into the room, offering Ace a drink

“Not alcoholic, right? I can’t with the fire breathing”

Sabo chuckled, shaking his head

“It’s peach juice”

Ace took the glass and quickly chugged it, glad that the strong flavour of the juice was helping

“Thank you! That was a great show!” Ace couldn’t stop smiling, still on the high from the audience

“Yeah, I only wish that Luffy had been there…what’s keeping that boy?” Sabo frowned, pulling out his phone, looking through his texts and quickly composed one

“Are you checking up on him? He’s coming with his friends, I think he’s fine” And people accused _him_ of being overprotective of Luffy!

“I’m just…worried. It’s getting late” said Sabo, defending himself

Within seconds, Sabo frowned sharply at his phone

“What?” asked Ace as he lay against the counter

“A snapchat story…apparently Law got into a fight with someone along the way”

Law?

_Fuck!_

“Any idea who it is?”

“I can’t quite see who it is…” Sabo frowned more, replaying the video

“It’s Bellamy”

Ace and Sabo both turned as Koala came into the bathroom in her matching outfit steampunk outfit, closing the door behind her

“Wow, you just walked in here, why, we could have been relieving ourselves!” teased Ace, smirking at Koala

“Pfft, please. You have nothing I haven’t seen” stated Koala, dismissing Ace

“ _How do you know that_?”

“Uh, you and Sabo were skinny dipping in the lake last summer”

“Oooh right – but _so_ _were you_ ” pointed out Ace

“Yeah, but not like you gave a crap about that” teased Koala back but then she put her hands on her hips “So back to business. Apparently Bellamy and Law got into a fist fight because of a tattoo that Bellamy recently got or something?”

“A tattoo?”

Ace can’t say he ever really paid attention to Bellamy – the guy was a cruel, sadistic asshole. He’s tried a few times to pick a fight with them with his own pathetic ‘gang’, but usually would beat the daylights out of them

_But what the hell could he do that would piss off Law that much_?

Guess he’ll hear it from Luffy

“Oh well, Luffy will tell us when he gets here. Thankfully there’s a second show tonight, because I’d hate to think that Luffy would miss it” pointed out Ace, starting to feel nervous about tonight

“Are you still thinking of leaving without telling Marco? Because I’m going to advise you again, that you should probably tell Marco” warned Sabo, pleading with Ace

Ace sighed, he should be annoyed, but he’s actually not since he knows _Sabo probably has a point_

“Well…I’m on the fence. I’m starting to think maybe it’s a good idea” _It always is to Ace’s advantage when Marco’s in the know and on his side_

“Remember Ace! Foreplay is key!” piped up Koala with a huge grin on her face

Ace blinked and then he looked at Koala with a grin on his face, chuckling

“Now there’s a place that _we never ever_ skimp out on”

 

Ace groaned as he walked around the party, looking for Marco

_Again_

Where the hell did that man go?!

Ah! Wait!

“Hey Thatch, did you see Marco anywhere?” asked Ace, looking around as he tapped the other’s shoulder

Thatch turned around, giving Ace slightly a jolt with his creepy horror style zombie makeup

_Christ Izo was insane with his makeup abilities_

“Yeah man! He went to his studio! I crossed him as I refilled the food table, said he had some prep to do or something?”

“Thanks man! Also, I see you told Izo that he was pretty!” teased Ace, making Thatch laugh as Izo came up to Thatch putting his arms around Thatch’s waist

“I made us match-!” Izo showed off the Glasgow smile he made himself and Thatch moved his face close to Izo’s, showing off his own zombie one. Ace laughed, pulling out his phone and snapped a picture of the two of them

_God they were cute together_

Ace was kinda hoping that something was brewing there

“Thanks guys!” said Ace as he walked away, going towards Marco’s studio

 

Ace came down the stairs and opened the door to Marco’s tattoo studio

Marco opened the studio after he’s done multiple tattoos for the Whitebeards and was annoyed at being called a scratcher so he got himself certified

Typical overachieving Marco

Marco had taken off most of his costume as Ace saw it lying on the couch in the waiting area and he saw him take out a few binders from the cabinet, opening them and putting them on the counter separating the tattooing area and the waiting room

“Are you doing a job tonight?”

_Shit, Ace couldn’t leave if Marco was busy_!

 “No, I have a consultation with Law, remember? But I want it to be professional before anything. The kid already thinks I’m a scratcher”

“Ah, right, I forgot about Law. Apparently he got into a fight tonight”

Marco paused, raising a brow as he looked up to Ace

“About?”

“Bellamy?”

“Ah. Probably, I knew that was coming”

“Did you do the ink? Apparently this is about a tattoo” asked Ace, suspicious that Marco seems to already know about this

Marco frowned, glaring at Ace

“I would _never_ tattoo that on anyone. _Ever.”_

Ace blinked, surprised that Marco had such a bad reaction – but he didn’t need Marco pissed

“Man, ever going to open a show in town?” due to licensing and age reasons, Marco couldn’t really own property, so he had to work his business from Pop’s place

“That’s the plan”

Ace paused for a moment, biting his lip

“Hey..Marco…Do you think if it’s okay if I go see the Captain for a bit tonight?”

Marco smirked, chuckling as he leaned over the counter, crossing his arms

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me all day. What finally made you decide to admit it to me that you were planning on bailing on the party?”

“Ah…uh…Jiminy Cricket convinced me”

“You should listen to Sabo more often; I would have been royally pissed had you just disappeared for the night”

“I’m not bailing! I’m just leaving for a bit!” defended Ace, frustrated

“Ace, I’m giving you permission to not come back. Take all the time you need, and make the night special. You deserve it”

“Aye aye, boss” said Ace, grinning brightly

He should really listen to Sabo more often!

 

Second show done! And he saw Luffy in the crowd!

Got to say hello to Luffy and his friends!

Took the time to really ready himself for the night in the bathroom. Not going to lie, Ace can’t say he found the whole ordeal really sexy

Now he was well on his way to his boyfriend’s house – thankful again that he only lived across the park from the Whitebeard mansion

He got to the house and knocked on the door

Ace could feel his stomach going insane as he heard his boyfriend’s steps coming up towards the door

Ace leaned against the door frame, tipping his head upward, smirking, with as much smolder as he possibly could as the door opened; Ace hoped he looked as hot as he thought he did

“Hello handsome, the moon is out and I’m feeling a little wild – wondering if you could help me with that~”

Smoker paused for a moment, the cigar in his mouth almost falling out; Ace could feel the other’s eyes scanning every inch of exposed skin as Ace purred softly

But before Smoker could say anything, Ace’s attention was diverted inside the house

“Oooh are you watching Nightmare on Elm Street?!”

“Yes” grunted Smoker “I always watch horror movies on Halloween”

“Want company?” asked Ace, grinning

“Don’t you have a party to run?”

“I was dismissed for the night, so I was hoping to show you my sweet costume!”

“And here I thought you were trick or treating”

“I kinda am, but you’re the only house I want to visit – _so do I get a treat?”_

Smoker sighed, rolling his eyes

“Come in, brat”

Ace was beyond thrilled as he followed Smoker into his house, door closing behind him

 

 

 

Koala's outfit!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're going to Law next chapter to find out WHAT HAPPENED WITH BELLAMY??
> 
> Also next Ace chapter will have SPECIAL instructions in the author's notes at the start of the chapter! Be sure to read them!


	55. -LAW- This Is Like A Teen Movie Party (Please Don’t Let Me Get Held Up At The Gas Station)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anybody get the reference in the title?
> 
> Anywho! Law's turn to reach the party! Well, sorta, you'll see! Chapter's up a little early because I'm sick and at home so here you go!
> 
> I had to rewatch some older One Piece episodes to get a feel for Bellamy pre-time skip again! Man it's been ages!

 

 

 “Is he going to be okay?”

Law jerked slightly, surprised that he was being addressed as he turned to look at Bepo, who was looking at him concerned

Law shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in the chair he was in, Luffy practically in his lap, yakking away with his friends

“I’m sure Cora’s going to be just fine” assured Law, trying to hide how worried he actually was, but then he turned to look at Zoro, who was dressed as well… _Zorro_

“What did your old man have to talk about with Cora?”

Instead of fucking around, might as well ask the person who would have a better shot of knowing

Zoro blinked, looking up from the beer he was drinking

“No idea. Said he wanted to have a chat with the sane Donquixote brother, so he was hoping that he was dropping you guys off”

“Donquixote brother?” asked Vivi, surprised; she was dressed as a belly dancer or something? Law couldn’t really tell

“Donquixote like, _Doflamingo Donquixote_? The gang leader?” asked Sanji, himself dressed as a vampire much like Cora’s own costume, leaning in rather close to Zoro on the couch

Law frowned sharply, staring down Luffy who looked away sheepishly

“You might as well tell them now, Luffy”

Luffy sighed, ignoring the frustrated glare from Usopp too

“Tell us what?” asked Nami, anger in her voice as she could tell that whatever it was, it was important

Her witch outfit suited her mood quite well right now, even though she was a rather cute witch

“Ahhh you see, Law and mister Rosisisi used to be part of the Donquixote gang but they ran away and Mister Rosisisi is actually that ‘Mingo guy’s brother”

There was a collective silence in the room before most of the room yelled out a collective ‘WHAT?!’ aside from those who already knew

“See _, I thought_ Luffy had told you guys this, you know, as your gang leader, but apparently I found out that he hadn’t” said Law, still a bit ticked off

“Never assume Luffy tells us anything” warned Vivi nicely, a stunning contrast to Nami who stormed up to Luffy, grabbed his ear, pulled him off Law and threw him on the ground and then hitting him on the head

“ _HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL US SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT_?!” yelled Nami as she kept hitting Luffy, who took all the blows

“You’re not still part of that gang, are you?” asked Sanji carefully, swirling the wine in his glass

“No, no. Cora was never actually part of the gang; he was undercover for the World Goverment. They thought he could infiltrate it better since he’s Doflamingo’s little brother – but the two couldn’t be more different”

_The last thing Law needed was for them to think less of Cora_

“Just because you’re related, doesn’t mean you’re anything alike” assured Sanji, but Law was a bit surprised at the sadness in the other’s voice

“And what about you?” asked Vivi gently, clearly trying to not upset Law, which he appreciated

“…I was part of the gang. I was homeless and orphaned and they took in kids. So I was with them from the age of 10” admitted Law

“That must have been very hard on you – was it mister Trafalgar who took you out?” Vivi asked again, clearly wanting the full story

“Ah yeah! He saved me, you know?” Law felt kinda embarrassed gushing about Cora like this, knowing very well the other was in the other room

“So, when you mentioned that people were after you that one time, you meant the Donquixote gang, right?” asked Zoro, smirking, clearly itching for a fight with the gang

“Yeah, but you probably already figured that out”

“So, you mean the scary Donquixote gang is going to come to Goa to attack Law?!” asked Chopper, clearly terrified, which was funny with his giant pink afro and white leisure suit

“They don’t want to attack Law, they want to kidnap him and take him back” admitted Bepo, who had been quiet for a while

_Law was pretty sure it was because the house scared the shit out of him though_

_For a black belt in Karate, the guy was kinda a chicken shit when it came to horror_

 

Cora suddenly appeared in the room, rushing out of the den

Law was pretty sure he had forgotten the time

But in a split second, Cora’s face went from a deep frown to a bright smile, making Law frown in turn

_What was he hiding_?!

“Ahh, I’m running late! You boys let me know if you want a ride home tonight! Anyone is welcomed to stay over if you’d like!” said Cora, making his way towards the door

Law quickly got up and followed him to the door

“Cora?! What’s wrong?” asked Law quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to the situation, making it seem like he was just seeing Cora out

Cora kept smiling, trying to keep the pretense, but Law knew better

“I got some information that’s making me suspect something that I don’t like, so I’m going to try and confirm it soon” admitted Cora

“ _What kind of information_?!”

 Cora’s expression then grew serious as he put his hand on Law’s shoulder

“If it’s important, I will tell you. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you anyways. But go enjoy the party, okay?”

“What about Baby 5 and Buffalo?” asked Law, still concerned that his former colleagues were running around looking for him

“I’ll do a patrol later tonight and see if I can pick them up” said Cora sighing

“You’re going to arrest them?!” asked Law, completely shocked, making Cora chuckle

“No no, I just want to talk to them. Offer them a chance to go home, to their real homes”

Law was surprised, he hadn’t expected that

“But Baby 5 doesn’t h-“

“I know. She’ll be a little harder, but I’m sure we can arrange something nice for her” assured Cora, a big smile on his face as he ruffled Law’s hair

Law frowned

Cora was planning on adopting her – wasn’t he?

_Goddamnit Cora!_

 

Perona then crashed down the stairs, her friend in tow dressed like…some sort of…zombie bear?

“Hey! Why the hell aren’t you kids gone yet?! I need to make my grand entrance and I can’t if you boneheads aren’t at the party first! Shoo! Shoo!”

Cora laughed softly

“Guess that’s my queue to go too – have fun everyone!” said Cora loudly, for the entire group to hear as they all gave their goodbyes to Cora as he left

“Well, I guess we better get going” said Sanji, before finishing the last of his wine

“I would like to warn you children to be cautious tonight”

Law turned, wanting to see the source of the voice and his jaw slightly dropped at the sight of Mihawk Dracule, now at the edge of the living room, looking right at them

_He hadn’t even heard him come in_!

“Why? You suspecting something?” asked Zoro, barely concerned

Mihawk merely shrugged, sipping his own wine

“We can handle ourselves, Papa!” assured Perona, hands on her hips

Dismissing them with his body language, Mihawk merely stepped out of the room, grabbing the paper on the table along the way, not another word said

Law hadn’t realized the heavy tension and silence that overwhelmed the room the second that Mihawk walked in

_What a presence_!

Law’s phone then vibrated, causing Law to reach into his lab coat’s pocket and pull it out

Apparently Shachi and Penguin were already at the party and wondering where they hell they were

“Let’s get going!” loudly declared Luffy as they all made their way towards the door

 

“Oh by the way! Zoro and Sanji won the couples contest!” announced Nami as they walked down the street of a busy suburban area, children trick or treating filling up the streets, kids scrambling all around them

Law couldn’t help but try to see if he could see Baby 5 and Buffalo again

“Oh yeah?” said Usopp, grinning

“Yep! So we’re getting the cash prize and their photo is going to be plastered in every major corner store, convenience store and shopping center in the country! Even in some stores overseas!”

“What’s this ‘ _we’re_ ’ getting the cash prize? Shouldn’t the cook and me getting the dough since it’s _our_ picture you splattered everywhere?” asked Zoro, frowning

Sanji promptly kicked him in the ankle

“Don’t talk to miss Nami that way!”

_Weren’t they dating?_

“So we’re going to get to go skiing!” cheered Chopper happily with Usopp as the two held hands and starting dancing

“Wait…I didn’t realize that the photo will get that much reach…” said Sanji quietly, Law noted a bit of fear in his voice

Law raised a brow, Sanji was acting kinda weird

“What? You ashamed of being in a photo with me or something, Curly?” grunted Zoro, crossing his arms

“Have you seen your mug lately?!” snapped back Sanji, quickly irritated

_Annnd here we go_

 

But before their fight could really start, this blonde haired guy approached Luffy with a few people, putting his arm around Luffy’s shoulder

Something about him instantly put Law off

“Heeey Luffy, buddy”

Luffy blinked, surprised at the person touching him as the rest of his gang looked at the interaction stunned

“Huh? Bellamy?”

“I was wondering if you could do us a favor”

Law didn’t need to know anything about this guy because the atmosphere got beyond tense the second he showed up

“Huh? What?”

“See, me and my pals really want to go to the Whitebeard party, but when we tried, they told us no, because we weren’t on the list”

Law frowned sharply, _this bastard wanted to mooch off Luffy!_

“Ace said that people who don’t have tickets can’t go inside the party” stated Luffy, clearly not very comfortable with the situation

“See – we got tickets. But then we were told that we weren’t on the list so we can’t go in, and that’s not fair, right?”

“You probably stole those from someone!” accused Nami

“HAHAHAHA! There’s no proof of that!” said Bellamy, grinning, his tongue hanging out

Law then frowned sharply, noticing something particular

He walked up to Bellamy, pulling his loose tank top down by the collar, revealing a large tattoo on the other’s chest

“ _What the fuck_?!” snapped Law, seeing red

Right there in his fucking face was a tattoo of _the Donquixote gang’s tag on this asshole’s chest_

“That, guy, is the symbol of the greatest man alive” said Bellamy with a huge smile on his face

“Do you even know what the fuck you’re even talking about?!”  Law couldn’t believe this fucking idiot!

“Yeah, It’s the symbol of Doflamingo Donquixote, the greatest Don that has ever lived! He’s gonna make it even bigger than Roger! HAHAHA! And one day, he’ll recognize my greatness and make me his new Corazon!”

Law shoved Bellamy, making sure the other wasn’t touching Luffy anymore

Bepo was suddenly right behind Law, holding his arms back, knowing very well that Law was ready to start something

“ _Law!_ Cora told us to not get into trouble!” whispered Bepo, hoping to get through to the other

 Law struggled for a moment against the restraint and frowned, Bepo had a point

“Doflamingo is a sick deranged fuck! You’re out of your goddamn mind if you worship a piece of shit like him!”

“Oh yeah? Teach you to insult Doflamingo!”

And Bellamy punched Law right in the jaw

Both Bepo and Law were thrown back from the power of Bellamy’s punch, surprising them both

“Hey! What the hell did you punch Law for?!” screamed Luffy, shoving Bellamy away

Bellamy was quickly winding back up to fight, so Law quickly went up to him, punching him hard in the stomach

 

Next thing Law knew, a brawl had broken out between Bellamy and his crew and Luffy and his gang as well

A large crowd had gathered around them, cellphones in the air, knowing very well that he was being recorded put Law on edge

_But this asshole had thrown the first punch_

“HEY! BREAK IT UP! NOW!”

Next thing Law knew, Bellamy was thrown on the ground by a giant black man with a bushy white beard and mustache and long white curly hair and what appears to be wearing a robe and pyjamas

“Who the fuck do you think you are?! I’m going to fuck you up, old man!” screamed Bellamy, getting back up

“An old man who called the cops, so you better scram!” yelled the man, making Bellamy and his gang scatter

_What?! The cops! Shit!_

“Or I would have if I knew you wouldn’t run” finished the man, smirking

Law sighed in relief

“Oh! Hack-sensei!” said Bepo, going up to the man and bowing

“Bepo! What’s the meaning of all of this! This isn’t what karate is for!” lectured Hack, clearly annoyed with the whole situation

“The guy punched Law! At first I was trying to defend him, but then those other guys jumped us too! But I swear, sensei, I was only trying to disarm them” explained Bepo, lowering his head and mumbling sorry afterwards

So this man was the great ‘Hack-sensei’ that taught Bepo karate? Law had heard so much about the man but had never met him before – _he was one big guy_!

“Don’t apologize, Bepo, I know you well enough to know you’re telling the truth. So what started all of this anyways?” asked Hack, looking around as the Straw Hats tried to adjust their costumes, not making it so obvious that they were all in a fight

Not going to lie, Law had been impressed with their fighting abilities

“The fucker has a Donquixote gang tag on his chest” said Law, spitting out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth from his split lip

“Ah, now I understand. That’s a good reason to punch anybody” said Hack, nodding “Well, you kids better get to the party, okay? Sabo’s getting worried about you, Luffy!”

Luffy grinned, nodding

“We’re going there right now!”

Law huffed; _he already wanted to go home_

 

Finally the gang had reached the rather impressive mansion of the Whitebeard estate, for once, the main gate was completely open, but there seemed to be someone waiting at it, checking the tickets and the cars

Once your ticket was checked, you had to follow the path up to the mansion, once at the door, this giant of a man was sitting there with a clipboard, literally checking names on a list – thankfully, they were all on it

The party was in full swing when they walked in – loud music, people dancing, tons of foods and entertainment scattered all over. Law looked up and saw the aforementioned cages that Ace had talked about in school, but right now had Nojiko in one and this new girl called Shirahoshi in the other, dancing away

Suddenly the lights cut out and a spotlight was right on Sabo on a makeshift stage

“Dearest guests! Welcome to the most incredible show in the world! I have traveled all over the world and have met the most incredible monsters, ghosts and ghouls from all over the world and they wish to share their wonderful abilities with you-!”

Apparently they were right in time for the show

 

Law found himself mesmerized by Ace’s fire show; the other clearly could manipulate the element like he had never seen someone do before – it was terrifying to think that he used fire when he fought too

Bepo looked like he had stars in his eyes, blown away by Ace’s abilities as well; the others merely looked highly thrilled, clearly used to Ace’s fire shows but still really impressed

“Ahh, it’s so cool that he can breathe fire now!” said Chopper, grinning brightly

“Your brother is a magician, Luffy!” exclaimed Usopp brightly

“Naw, just a heavy risk taker”

They all turned around to see Ace that had walked up to them, grinning

Law hadn’t even noticed that the party had resumed

“What took you guys so long? I was afraid I was going to miss you!” said Ace as Sabo came up and joined them

“What’s this about a fight?” asked Sabo,  Ace turned to look at Sabo, not impressed

“Yeah, Bellamy’s gang jumped us” explained Luffy

“Over a tattoo? That’s what Koala said” pointed out Ace

_How did Koala know that?!_

“Yeah, apparently the guy’s really into ‘Mingo, and tattooed his symbol on his chest”

“Ah, that explains it. Glad you guys made it here though! So, enjoy everything this place has to offer, the guys know they’re not allowed to deal with you guys, so don’t even try! The drinks are clearly labely which is booze and which isn’t and they’re being watched”

“Are you leaving?” asked Sanji, a little surprised

“Hahaha, yeah, see – I look _really good_ tonight and I kinda want to show it off to my boyfriend” admitted Ace, smiling sheepishly

“Your boyfriend didn’t want to come to the party?” asked Chopper innocently

Law raised a brow – _didn’t he know it was the Captain_?

Ace laughed, rubbing the back of his neck

“Naww, my man is more of a homebody, partying isn’t really his thing”

_Especially not when it’s a gang party and he’s the Chief of police_

But before anything else could be said, Law felt a leather gloved hand on his shoulder and suddenly there was a big leather beak in his face as someone dressed like a plague doctor approached him

Law jumped, not sure how to react

“You ready?” asked the plague doctor, and then Law recognized the voice as Marco’s

Law instantly relaxed, now knowing the identity of the plague doctor

_Also really jealous since damn that would have been an awesome costume idea_!

“Yeah, I’m ready” said Law, and then he turned towards Luffy, pointing back at Marco behind him

“I’m gonna go check out the tattoo studio with Marco for a bit, then I’ll come back and join you guys?” informed Law, Luffy merely nodded in response

But then Luffy leaned in and kissed Law softly

“Have fun! And Marco, you look really cool!”

Marco only nodded as Law blushed

Law also didn’t missed Ace snickering and Sabo looking at bit shocked that Luffy kissed Law

“Can I come?” asked Bepo, Law nodded in response as the two followed the plague doctor to a seemingly hidden room to the side of the mansion

_This wasn’t foreboding at all or anything_

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And voila! We're going to Cora for the next chapter! Let's see how his evening is going!


	56. -CORA- Bribing Kids with Candy is VERY ILLEGAL! (Good Thing I'm a Cop!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh busy day at work, but I'm happy I can give you guys this chapter! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 “Do you think the World Government would do something as hypocritical as that?”

Cora wished with all of his heart that he could say that they wouldn’t, but he has been proven wrong time and time again

_Especially lately_

“Honestly? Can’t say I’d be surprised if they did. Doffy always did what he wanted, so having the government off his back too? That’s only going to lead to trouble. He’s had his eyes on a few …industries and plots of lands in the past”

_Like Dressrosa_

“But…he’s a world class criminal?! It’s insane to give him immunity like that!” stressed Tashigi, clearly not happy with the news

“Well, apparently Mihawk is on the list too”

“The Greatest swordsman in the world, Mihawk?! I…I knew…I’ve heard he had a shady past but-“

Cora raised a brow, surprised at the reaction – apparently Tashigi didn’t want to think about Mihawk like that

Oh, shit – _she probably idolized him!_

“How do you know this?” asked Tashigi, looking a little ticked off – Cora was hoping it wasn’t at him!

“Mihawk told me himself”

“ _You met him_?!”Tashigi looked at Cora, in pure awe “What was he like?!”

“ _Intense_ ” admitted Cora; he still had the creeps from the whole affair

Mihawk though, had been awfully nice with him, so maybe he shouldn’t be so harsh, they were now both…uh, parental friends? Parents of two kids who were friends? Well three kids technically?

_Urgh whatever_

“To think he’s in town! It would explain the message we got from Bellemere earlier though” admitted Tashigi, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it over to Cora

Cora took the paper, reading the message out loud

“Was tipped off that Redhair was in town – apparently it’s social. What the hell?”

Tashigi nodded slowly

“Shanks is in town”

Cora blinked slowly, watching Tashigi’s face for any signs that she was joking

On top of Mihawk Dracule being in town – _now one of the big Gang Emperors??_

Well…technically Whitebeard was one too, so I guess one was always in town

_Urgh, he was getting a headache_

“Is the part that it says it’s social means that he has no business to attend to here? Like starting up crap?” asked Cora hopefully, not wanting to be told he was wrong

“I supposed so, maybe he’s going to the party?” offered Tashigi, smiling a bit

_Well, it wouldn’t be off the mark,_ Shanks was known for partying hard

Cora sighed, he had a million things to deal with and his patience was growing thin

And he couldn’t even call Sengoku until he got the list from Smoker in case he was wrong and didn’t want to get in his father’s face about this unless he needed to

Cora knew very well that he couldn’t just ask out of the blue about the Warlord Program. He had never shown any interest in it before, so it would be odd if he suddenly did now. The last thing Cora needed was Sengoku being suspicious of him. He didn’t need to think that Cora was investigating things after Sengoku had clearly told him to keep his nose out of it

Cora then paused

Maybe _that was why Sengoku told him to keep his nose out of it_!

Maybe _he didn’t want Cora to find out that Doffy was a Warlord now_!

And now he was pissed off again

“Tashigi, do you mind if I go out and patrol?”

He needed some air - _bad_

“Not at all!”

Cora sighed in relief

 

Cora scanned the streets as he carefully drove through the suburban areas, carefully checking out every kid in costume in hopes of finding what he was looking for

He decided that if he can’t do anything about the whole Warlord thing, Cora could try to do _something_

Cora had told Law that he wanted to find Baby 5 and Buffalo, and he wasn’t kidding about that

_They were kids_ , much like Law; they had a right to a normal childhood as well

As the time kept passing, there was less and less kids on the street and Cora was worried that maybe he had missed his shot picking them up

Cora frowned sharply, he should have gone on the search before but he couldn’t run out of the house when the two had come to his front door. The last thing he needed was to put Law and Bepo in danger because he wanted to help the kids out

Cora sighed heavily; the problem of course was that Buffalo and Baby 5 had done a lot of illegal activities. He wasn’t sure if he could get them off both Scott free like did with Law. With Law, it was easy to play the legal game, Baby 5, it was possible as well. Cora had long suspected that the poor thing suffered from some sort of dependency disorder and probably real abandonment issues too. Even though the two of them were total brats who picked on him a lot – Cora still thinks they deserve better than this.

Cora kept looking around, hoping to find a sign of the two. He asked a few parents he came across, stating that the children had gone missing and their parents were looking for them, knowing very well that most parents would instantly call the police if he saw them – but so far, no luck

 

Suddenly, he came across a group of kids, crying. Cora pulled the car over and approached the kids, who seemed to be lamenting something

“Hey, is everything okay?”

“N-No officer, sir!” said one of the kids, with thick glasses, dressed like a pirate

“What happened?” asked Cora, crouching down to not intimidate the kids

“These two kids dressed like a witch and a mummy attacked us! They stole our candy!” said the other kid dressed like a pirate, but he had freckles and darker skin

“They- Do you know which way they went?” asked Cora, now noticing the bruises on the kids, he wouldn’t be surprised if this had just happened and the kids were still a little shook up about it

“Yeah! They went that way!” said the third kid, pointing in the direction of a small bridge “We’re gonna go get our candy back!”

“Now now” started Cora, standing up “I’d rather you kids just wait here and I’ll go get it, okay?”

“You’re gonna go after the bad kids?” asked the freckled kid, suddenly they seemed in better spirits

“Let us help, mister! Me, Piiman and Ninjin are great fighters!” offered the boy with glasses, but Cora shook his head

“No can do, this is police business! But can you kids do me a favour and keep watch? Make sure that nobody comes down this way?”

All three kids nodded as Cora grinned brightly

He went to the police cruiser, chucked his hat in back of the car and grabbed the black hoodie he had stashed there. Knowing Baby 5 and Buffalo, they would high tail and run if they saw a cop coming way before they recognized his face. Cora zipped up the hoodie to hide his police uniform and grabbed the bag of candy he had brought from home. If he knew anything about the two – sweets worked well as bribes with them

Cora carefully but casually walked up to the bridge, not wanting to draw any attention to himself before he was close enough to do so – but still enough to give the two space

_Urgh, bargaining with kids was a pain_

 

When he got close enough to the bridge, he saw that the trio was right – there was Baby 5 and Buffalo, sitting on the side of the bridge, eating the candy

Well, more like Buffalo did, Baby 5 just sat on the edge of the bridge and looked disappointed as she sucked on a sucker

“Young Master is going to be mad at us for not finding Law” stated Baby 5, looking like she was about to cry as Cora got closer

“ _We went to every niiiin house_! It’s not our fault that apparently they don’t celebrate Halloween!”

“But Mister Cora always loved Halloween!” contested Baby 5

Cora blinked, he didn’t realized that she had caught on to that

“Maybe he had to work or something niiin, and I don’t see Law giving out candy”

“Well you’re right about that”

Both Baby 5 and Buffalo turned, to look at Cora shocked

“Hey! Niiin mister! You can beat it!” snapped Buffalo, looking annoyed

“Hey now, I just want to talk” assured Cora, putting up his hands defensively

“We have nothing to say to you, mister! You get any closer and I’ll call the police on you!” yelled Baby 5, standing up defensively in response

Cora blinked, surprised at the reaction

But then it dawned upon him

_They didn’t recognize him without all of the makeup_!

Cora took a step forward, wondering if maybe it had to do with the light in the area he was in, but found himself getting a mouthful of dirt

Apparently he hadn’t noticed the root that was growing above ground by his feet

“MISTER CORA?!” yelled both Baby 5 and Buffalo, shocked

_Clearly he had overestimated them back at the house_

Cora groaned, sitting up as he took a cigarette out and put it in his mouth, sighing as he lit it up

“So listen, I just want to talk-“

“Your voice is so deep, it’s weird, I don’t like it!” declared Baby 5, making Cora twitch

“Excuse me?!”

Actually it would make sense that his voice would bother them

But it wasn’t too deep?!

It was just deep enough! _It was his voice_!

“Alright, can we just, talk? Look, I brought you a bag of candy, so don’t tell Doffy you saw me – also, I’m gonna need that candy you stole from those kids back” said Cora, throwing the bag of candy at the two kids

“No way! We’re gonna  niiiiin tell the Young Master anyways that we found you!” yelled out Buffalo as he caught the bag of candy that Cora threw at them

“Actually, you didn’t find me at all. _I found you_. Do you really want to go tell Doffy that you failed so bad that the person you were trying to find, tracked you down instead? And don’t play dumb, you were trying to figure out where I live, right? So, apparently you failed that too”

Cora knew he hit the nail right on the head as both the kids lost all colour in their faces as pure panic overcame them

“Niiiin maybe we should just tell the Young Master that we didn’t see him?”

“Y-Yeah, I think that might be for the best” agreed Baby 5

“I have an offer for the two of you. Do you want me to take you home? Buffalo, your family has been looking for you for a while now”

Buffalo froze; looking at Cora shocked, clearly wondering how the other could possibly know that

“H-How did yo-?”

“I saw the missing person’s report. Matched you to a ‘t’”

Buffalo grew quiet, clearly not sure how to handle the news while Baby 5 looked hurt

“Baby 5, I know it’s probably not what you’d like, but I can take you in. You’ll be able to go to school, have a normal life, and you and Law got along rather well, so you’d be living with him” offered Cora, trying to keep his voice gentle

Baby 5 paused, looking at him surprised at the offer

“You…You would want me?”

“Of course! I didn’t actually want to beat you kids up, you know! I had to, to try and discourage you from staying with the gang!” admitted Cora; He felt the kids had a right to know the truth

“ _What if this is a trick?!”_ asked Buffalo, suddenly really skeptical “Don’t believe him, Baby 5! He’s lying to you! Like how he lied to us for years!”

Baby 5 suddenly looked at Cora, horrified and angry

_Goddamni_ t!

“We’re not falling for your tricks!” yelled Baby 5, now looking really upset

Cora blinked; did she really want to come that badly?

“Now that we saw you, we’re gonna niiiiin follow you back to where you live! You can’t escape us know! We’re gonna know exactly where you niiiin live and tell Doffy!” declared Buffalo, proudly

Cora frowned sharply, unzipping his hoodie and showing them that he was in fact – _in a police uniform_

“So you’re going to follow me back to the station? It wasn’t in my plans to arrest you guys, but if you _insist_ ”

Both Baby 5 and Buffalo looked at Cora shocked – apparently Doffy hadn’t told them that he was now working as a cop

They both took off running, leaving all the candy behind, but ran right into the dense forest

Cora sighed; he knew there was no point in chasing them in the forest

 

Cora returned to the other kids, having picked up all the bags of candy and gave it to them (after having thoroughly checked the bags) and went back to his cruiser, even more frustrated with the turn of events

_That had gotten him nowhere_!

 While he was driving back to the station, his phone vibrated, with a message from Law, surprising him

Cora pulled over, checking his phone, not sure what to expect but hopefully Law wasn’t in any kind of trouble

 

_Law_

_Met a bastard named Bellamy and the asshole worships Doffy_

_Next time I see him – he’s dead_

 

Cora groaned loudly as he looked at the text, feeling discouraged

It made sense that there would be people out there who worshipped what Doffy did and wanted to join his gang _but did they have to do it in Law’s face_?!

Couldn’t they do it somewhere where Law wouldn’t see it?!

Cora shot him a quick text back, telling him that they’ll talk about it more at home

He lifted his head, getting ready to keep driving when he spotted a familiar orange cowboy hat, trotting down the street happily…but apparently with a big bushy tail

_Was that Ace?_

For a moment, Cora was taken back by the giant Whitebeard tattoo on the other’s back

He knew that Ace was a Whitebeard, but it was so weird to see proof so out in the open like that!

 

Cora drove by slowly, rolling down the window on the passenger side, as he drove besides Ace

“Need a ride anywhere?”

Ace stopped, turning his head confused

Ah! _He was a werewolf_! Explained the bushy tail!

“Ah! Mister Trafalgar! No thanks! I’m not far from my location!” said Ace, smiling brightly; the other was clearly in a good mood

“I’m surprised to see you away from the party!” admitted Cora

“I was dismissed for the night! It’s going really great though! I saw Law and Bepo by the way; they made it to the party safe”

Cora blinked, surprised that the other told him such, but then he chuckled, he forgot what a _parent_ Ace could be

“I was just about to ask that! Thank you! But, Ace, if you have a moment…could I ask you something?”

Cora bit his lip slightly, he knew he might be pushing it, but he should ask – Ace was a nice kid and this might be a good time to get some info

“Of course! What can I do for you?”

“Do you know a guy called Bellamy?”

Cora watched as Ace’s smile turned to a scowl in no time at all

“Guy’s trash. Gonna beat the shit out of him next time I see him though for raising a hand at my little brother”

Cora looked at Ace stunned, not sure how he felt about such words coming out of Ace’s mouth

_Ace! You’re supposed to be a nice boy_!

“What’s his association with Doffy? Er- I mean, Doflamingo? I never heard his name before” admitted Cora to the other

“Well, I don’t think he’s actually associated with Doflamingo. I think it’s more like if he’d had the chance, he’d suck Doflamingo’s dick for days”

Cora groaned, closing his eyes as he grimaced

_He didn’t need that mental picture_

“Ace! _I’m visual_! Could you not?!”

Ace chuckled softly

“Sorry about that! But yeah, it’s just pure hero worship from what I get. But I can’t say I understand it, no offence, but your brother’s pure shit” said Ace, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to the side, clearly uncomfortable talking trash about someone else’s brother

“No, no offense taken, Ace, I feel the same way. But I hope you don’t mind me saying, I’m surprised to hear that from you, considering you’re in a gang yourself”

“But Pops isn’t like that!” exclaimed Ace “Pops is really great! He deserves all the worship he gets! He takes in any orphan kids, he treats them like family! To Pops, we’re all his kids! Pops makes sure to keep track of our lives, our schoolwork and everything! He makes sure we’re fed, clothed, dressed and Pops isn’t out to make profit for the sake of profit either with his business! He protects local businesses, vulnerable areas of town and we have really strict rules of what we’re allowed and not allowed to do! Like, during a job, if the life of one of us is in danger, Pops would rather we blow the job then get killed!”

Cora looked at Ace in awe, overwhelmed by the love the other clearly had for his leader

“ _What you do is still illegal though_ ” pointed out Cora

Ace smirked, shrugging his shoulders

“Maybe, maybe not, but I know we do help a lot of people! Why do you think that no working girls have gone missing in Goa for years now?”

Cora honestly didn’t know what to say that to that – _he had noticed that little fact_. It was odd for a city as big as Goa to not have girls go missing

“I have to go now, mister Trafalgar, but I hope you have a good night!” said Ace as he started to walk away, clearly on a mission

 

Cora sat there a bit stunned, not sure what to think as he rolled up his window. His whole life, he was told that the gangs were nothing but scum or filled with lost children that were seeking a place to belong.

_But he never thought of it somehow helping other people through their illegal activities_

Cora sighed, starting up the car once more as he drove to the station

He had a lot to think about tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

   


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Ace's and remember! There's special instructions to read at the beginning of next week's chapter! And it will still be going up at the usual time regardless of if it's Easter or not! It won't be late!


	57. -ACE- The Full Moon's Out and the Stray Dog's Out To Play (NSFW! Yes, I know, FINALLY)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY EASTER! CHAPTER'S OUT EARLY BECAUSE I'M SO DAMN NERVOUS! oooh my god, I'm so nervous about this chapter! I really hope you guys like it! I worked really hard on it OTL
> 
> That said - SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS!
> 
> If you're not comfortable with naughty smut things, what I did is that I put a * at the beginning of it and another * at the end of it! So if you do ctrl+F and search for the *, you can skip right past it and carry on with the end of the chapter! 
> 
> So again! I hope you guys like this chapter!!

 

 

 

 “Where’s Justice?”

Ace looked around the now familiar living room and noticed that someone very important was missing

Actually, now that he thought about it, he should have realized it when she didn’t come greet him at the door

Also most of his boyfriend’s clothes were also missing, but he was use to the other walking around in nothing but sweat pants. Another things that the two had very much in common was an aversion to shirts

“She’s outside” started Smoker, coming out from the kitchen and handed a glass of water to Ace and then sat down on the couch “Trick or Treaters irritate her because of the constant doorbell ringing, so I put outside for the day while I worked my shift, but she’s asleep and it’s nice out. So I decided to leave her out there for now”

“Ooh, the poor thing, had I known, I could of stayed with her” offered Ace, taking a sip of water but he was too nervous to really drink the offered glass

“You had your party” reminded Smoker, picking up a lit cigar from the coffee table on a tray, putting it back in his mouth with the other one

“ _Clearly Justice is always invited to my parties_!” argued Ace, smirking at the other

“How was your party anyways? Surprised you left” asked Smoker, sucking softly on the tips of the cigar and then removed it from his mouth, exhaling

Ace was unable to stop looking at Smoker’s mouth

Ace sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for water, _but that didn’t change that he was thirsty as hell_

“It was really fun! My fire trick went off without a hitch! But see, the thing is-“

Ace shifted, leaning against the armrest of the couch, arching his back, slightly smirking as he turned to look at Smoker, knowing he was hamming it up

“I just really wanted to show you how good I looked in my costume~”

Smoker choked slightly, coughing a bit, his face a bit flushed

_Jackpo_ t!

“ _What costume_? You just look like you’re prancing around half naked. How is that any different than usual?” teased Smoker, trying to hide his smile behind his cigars

Ace laughed, turning and allowing himself to slide in the seat besides Smoker, leaning in onto the other, sitting back on his own legs

“Aww, here I was hoping you have a thing for animal ears and this cute tail~”

Smoker choked on his cigars again as Ace climbed into Smoker’s lap. He straddled Smoker’s lap, wrapping his arms around the Captain’s neck.  Well, tried, he had to remove the big paws first and threw them on the couch. Smoker’s hands were instantly holding Ace’s hips steady

“I have to admit…it’s a rather good look on you” admitted Smoker, his cheeks flushed even more

Ace purred softly, unable to stop smiling at how good Smoker was making him feel about himself. He leaned in, nipping Smoker’s jawline softly

“How about you show me how much you like this look?”

“Can’t” grunted Smoker, one hand going up and snatching off Ace’s hat, throwing it on the floor “Because I don’t think that’s why you’re here for and something tells me those plans don’t involve your costume”

Ace grinned, big and wide

“ _You got that right, Captain_ -!”

 

“Do you want some time to get ready?” asked Smoker, voice calm and steady, but Ace could feel Smoker’s hands betray that voice, roaming his chest, softly massaging one of his nipples with his calloused thumbs, making Ace arch his back slightly and moan

After making out for a while on the couch, they had somehow finally made their way up the stairs and inside Smoker’s room. Ace had his back flush against the other’s chest, their size difference much more apparent at this moment, turning Ace on even more as Smoker nipped and sucked on Ace’s neck

Especially considering he could _feel_ Smoker getting hard against his ass – _even with the fake tail on!_

Ace shook his head, closing his eyes, and he grinding his ass against Smoker’s bulge

“No need, I got all cleaned up before coming here. I didn’t want any _delays_ to happen again”

Smoker grunted at the information, Ace feeling him getting even harder at the information and purred softly, biting his lip and mentally noting that apparently his enthusiasm was turning Smoker on considerably

“ _Then get on the bed_ ” said Smoker, letting go of Ace

Usually Ace would be annoyed at being told what to do, but right now, _it was setting his blood on fire_!

Taking advantage of the situation, Ace carefully sauntered towards the bed and turned around, plopping himself down on it. But once on the bed, he locked eyes with Smoker, slowly leaning back against the covers, holding himself up on his elbows, slightly arching his back as he bent one knee, spreading his legs a bit.

“Is this what you wanted~?”

Smoker’s answer was but a low growl in his throat as he stalked up to the bed, making Ace whine softly, beyond excited. Smoker leaned over Ace and started to undo Ace’s belt, quickly tugging off his pants

“Aww, I’m going to miss the tail” teased Ace as Smoker got his pants completely off and threw them on the ground. Ace was glad he skipped out on socks tonight and chose to wear his nice red boxer briefs!

“If you wanted a tail so bad, you should have gotten one that can be inserted” replied Smoker as he loomed over Ace once more, his knees straddling Ace’s waist as he leaned in to steal a deep kiss

Ace moaned softly in the kiss, nipping Smoker’s lips as he kissed the other back and held on to Smoker’s muscular arms

“Hmm maybe for your birthday, I’ll get clip-on ears too! The only problem is if that’s inserted, what tail is left for you to put in?”

Smoker groaned, breaking the kiss and rolling his eyes

“ _That was terrible_ ”

“Hey hey! That wasn’t too bad! I’m a little on the spot here!” argued Ace, pouting slightly

_He thought he was doing pretty good!_

“It’s time to shut you up, brat”

Ace smirked, as Smoker was leaning in to kiss him again

“ _Bring it, old man_ ”

 

Ace’s head felt like a total mess. With Smoker’s hands all over his body, his head was spinning as every nerve in his body felt awake and alive. Ace’s lips felt swollen as they kept kissing heavily, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop. _Ace felt so incredibly good_

Ace ran his hands through Smoker’s hair, pulling Smoker in closer every time they kissed. But soon enough, Smoker started kissing down Ace’s body, making him groan. Ace tried very hard to keep his eyes open as he watched Smoker going lower and lower, kissing and sucking down his abdomen.  But right before he reached Ace’s underwear, Smoker lifted his head and leaned back up and gave Ace a long lingering kiss that made Ace slightly dizzy

Smoker then loomed back over Ace, putting a hand besides Ace’s head and leaned over to open his nightstand. Ace took the moment to try and catch his breath as he watched Smoker riffle through the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube and a box of condoms, throwing them on the bed

Ace was a little embarrassed that he felt rather relieved that they both looked new

“Ace, before we continue, I’m going to ask you again: _Are you sure_?”

Ace blinked slowly at the question but then he smiled softly, overwhelmed with how good Smoker is to him

“There’s honestly nothing more than I want right now” started Ace, but then he smiled nervously, biting his lip, a little embarrassed “I’m nervous, but, I trust you”

Smoker smiled gently and Ace could feel his entire body flush

_Why does the man’s smile do that to him_?!

“Swear you’ll talk to me? I need to know if I’m hurting you”

“I swear baby, but please” said Ace, leaning back and moaning softly as he shifted on the sheets “Put your hands back on me, _I’m dying here_ ”

“ _Impatient brat!_ ”

Ace groaned, even thought Smoker chided him; the other also quickly gave Ace exactly what he wanted but _honestly Ace was getting a little embarrassed at how much being called brat was starting to turn him on!_

 

“Oye!” yelped Ace as Smoker suddenly picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder. Ace grabbed onto Smoker, confused

Now, he didn’t mind the great view he now had of Smoker’s ass, _but what the hell?!_

“We’re not dirtying the comforter” muttered Smoker as Ace heard the rustling of the sheets

“Are you seriously removing it?” asked Ace, bewildered, but it made him laugh a bit – honestly, it was breaking the tension, which was making Ace feel a little more relaxed

_Also it gave him an opportunity to give Smoker’s ass cheek a good squeeze_

Smoker grunted as he got squeezed, jumping a bit in surprise and then he threw Ace back on the bed, shooting him a dirty look as Ace laughed brightly as he landed on the bed sheets, the comforter now on the ground

Ace for a moment was afraid that Smoker was mad at him, but he was quickly greeted with a smile as he felt Smoker’s hands on the edge of his boxer briefs

“You ready?”

*

Ace nodded and he felt the boxer briefs being removed, hissing as it went past his now exposed cock, not appreciating the cold air in the room

Ace blushed brightly when he noticed how hard he was as Smoker completely removed his boxer briefs and threw them aside

Taking a deep breath, Ace arched his back, shifting on the sheets, and a lazy smirk on his face, throwing Smoker bedroom eyes. He threw his arms over his head, stretching out his body to expose it even more

“Do you like what you see?” purred Ace

“Of course I do. Don’t pretend you don’t know how gorgeous you are” replied Smoker, rolling his eyes

Ace’s body blushed brightly once more, thrown for a loop

“Oye oye oye! That’s not fair!”

Smoker laughed brightly, taking Ace by surprise as Smoker leaned in and started kissing down Ace’s torso once again

Ace arched his back, wanting more contact with Smoker’s lips, moaning softly as Smoker’s hands gripped Ace’s hips

A soft whine escaped Ace’s lips as he started pawing at Smoker’s sweatpants

“Not fair! I’m completely naked and you still have clothes on”

“Do something about it then” muttered Smoker, nipping Ace’s hip bone

Ace huffed, suddenly sitting up, and shoved Smoker’s shoulder’s slightly, signaling that he wanted him to pull back slightly

“Sit up, on your knees” instructed Ace, Smoker quickly obeying as Ace crawled on all four

Ace smirked, leaning forward and grabbed the edge of Smoker’s sweatpants with his teeth and slowly started pulling them down, not breaking eye contact with Smoker as he did so

Smoker moaned, staring at Ace surprised

“Didn’t you say that you’ve never done this before?”

Ace restrained his thrilled noises coming out of his mouth as he noticed that the other man wasn’t wearing anything under the sweatpants

“What can I say, I’ve been studying” teased Ace with a smirk as he pulled the sweatpants  the rest of the way down to Smoker’s knees with his hands – the other kicking the rest of them off as Ace returned on his back, nestling his head on the pillows

Ace sighed happily as he took in the sight in front of him. He licked his lips softly as he really embraced finally being able to see Smoker in all of his naked glory- and dear god, _it was glorious_!  The man was clearly very well endowed. Smoker’s dick wasn’t only big, but it was rather thick, much like the man, now that Ace thought about it. And right now it was hard and clearly ready to go. Honestly Ace thought that maybe once he had finally seen the man’s size that he would discouraged, but instead, it was turning him on even more

_Never thought of himself as a size queen, but here he is_

“Are you ready?” asked Smoker, clearly not very comfortable with all the attention Ace was giving his dick

Ace grinned, nodding enthusiastically

“Yes sir!”

Smoker sat back on his legs as he grabbed the bottle of lube and started to open it. Ace in return quickly unwrapped the plastic from the box of condoms, opening the box to make sure it was ready when they would need it

“Enthusiastic, aren’t you?” noted Smoker as he poured some lube on his fingers and rubbed his fingers together to warm it up a bit before he reached forward and curled his hand around Ace’s dick, giving it a few firm jerks, making Ace moan loudly

“C-Can you blame me? And honestly, isn’t an enthusiastic yes the best answer for this kind of situation?” asked Ace as he let the jolts of pleasure wash over him, trying to memorize the feel of Smoker’s hand on his dick for the next time he was alone

Smoker merely grunted in response as he pulled his hand back and poured more lube on his fingers

“I’m going to prep you now. So take a deep breath and try to relax as much as possible”

Ace nodded and lay back on the bed and bent his legs. He spread his legs as wide as he could; making sure that Smoker had the best access possible

Smoker shifted, grabbing a pillow besides Ace’s head

“Arch your back up”

Ace nodded, surprised at the request and arched his back and was confused when suddenly Smoker put a pillow there

“It’ll be better for your back” explained Smoker. Then he grabbed one of Ace’s leg and placed it on his hips. Ace brought up his other leg, placing in on Smoker’s other hip

 

Smoker then nodded, reaching forward, under Ace and Ace reminded himself to breathe as he awaited what was coming

_Breathe in_

_Breathe out_

Ace suddenly could feel the fingers around his entrance, making him inhale sharply

“ _Breathe_ ”

Ace then felt Smoker smearing some lube in soft circles before the tip of Smoker’s finger gently and slowly entered him, making Ace gasp

Smoker made soft shushing noises as he massaged Ace’s thigh softly with his thumb as he kept slowly pushing his index finger inside of Ace

“Are you doing okay?” asked Smoker in a soft, gentle voice

“Y-Yes” said Ace, _which wasn’t a lie_ , he groaned loudly though, it was feeling rather more invasive than good and he was starting to get worried

_What if he didn’t enjoy sex_?!

“It’ll get better, I swear. It’s just weird at first” promised Smoker as he started to pump the finger slowly in an out, making Ace groaned softly, already it was feeling better

Ace closed his eyes, rocking his hips gently with the movements of Smoker’s finger, allowing himself to relax as Smoker kept pumping his index in and out

“Tell me when you’re ready for another” said Smoker as he watched Ace enjoying himself

“Mmm, I’m ready”

Smoker nodded, slowly removing his index finger from Ace and grabbed the lube, pouring a generous amount on the index as well as his middle finger now, warming it up with his thumb. Soon enough, Smoker was inserting the two digits inside, Ace arching his back as he tried to relax his muscles as the fingers worked their way in

“A-Ah!” moaned Ace, once again, rocking against the fingers, this time a little harder, knowing now that it felt good to do so

“Figured you wouldn’t be a passive bottom” noted Smoker, chuckling softly as he started to pump his fingers in time with Ace’s hips

Ace chuckled in return and rocked even harder, almost as a challenge, relishing the little control it was giving him

“M-More!” begged Ace after a while, knowing very what he really wants

And also he noticed how much precome was leaking from his own dick and he was getting a little wary of not getting to the main event

Smoker grunted, removing his fingers slowly and quickly added more lube, now on the ring finger and once again, slowly inserted them inside, pumping slowly

Even though Ace was enjoying it, and he quickly met the pace with his own hips, _he wanted more_!

 

“S-Stop!”

Ace felt Smoker’s entire body freeze and he slowly pulled out the fingers

“Did I hurt you?” The expression in Smoker’s face was a mix of disappointment and worry, which warmed Ace’s heart

“Nope-!” answered Ace happily, pulling Smoker into a deep kiss, distracting Smoker before he grabbed him tightly and flipped them around, allowing Ace to now be straddling Smoker

“I wanted to be on top!” proudly declared Ace, grinning “Now do you mind putting those bad boys back in? I wasn’t quite done with them”

Smoker sighed in relief and then playfully gave Ace’s hip a gentle snap, making Ace laugh

“I was worried”

“I’m sorry” admitted Ace as he moaned loudly, Smoker choosing that moment to re-insert the three fingers in. Ace started to ride them as Smoker pumped the digits in and out of Ace at the same pace

Ace closed his eyes, arching down to put his hands on Smoker’s chest, feeling his abs and pectorals, feeling the thin hairs on the man’s chest, grinning to himself as he kept rocking his body

Ace then gasped, as a different jolt of pleasure washed over him as he slammed down on the fingers, taking his breath away for a moment

_Was that his-?!_

“L-Let’s get to the main event before I lose it, please!” begged Ace, his face now fully flushed, he could feel himself leaking precome considerably now and was really starting to worry that he wouldn’t make it

“Fine, but regardless, I’m enjoying the show” admitted Smoker teasingly as he removed his fingers. Ace gasped, groaning as they left him again, lamenting their loss a bit

“H-Hey now!”

“Glad to know you get off on being fingered” teased Smoker again as he sat back and grabbed the lube again. He started to generously coat his hand with lube and then Smoker moaned softly as he stroked his own dick, closing his eyes, enjoying the feeling

Ace grinned as he took the lube himself and coated his own hand, soon joining Smoker’s, helping him coat his hard cock

Ace couldn’t restrain the shiver of anticipation that ran up his spine – especially when Smoker groaned in surprise, flushing himself as his eyes snapped open

“You ready? Do you want to stay in this position?” asked Smoker, clearly leaving the control to Ace, who greatly appreciated it

“Been wanting to ride your dick since the moment I laid eyes on you, Captain” admitted Ace, taking a condom and opened the package, rolling it down on Smoker’s dick

Ace put more lube on his hand and gave Smoker’s dick a few jerks, relishing the feeling of having his hand on it

It was really such a great dick

And in a moment _, it was going to be in him!_

_Damn he was gay_

 

“ _Get to it, brat!”_ barked Smoker, making Ace chuckle, as he’s shaken out of his thoughts, clearly he wasn’t the only one on edge

Ace nods as he lifts himself up a bit. Smoker placed his hands on Ace’s hips and held him up as Ace leaned back, holding the hard member with one hand and made sure that it was in line with his entrance and slowly started to sink down on it, moaning loudly as he did so, his eyes wide

Ace had to remind himself to breathe, relax and remember that once he got past the head, it would be much easier _but he was so thankful for gravity doing it’s job right now_

Smoker leaned in and kissed Ace softly, making Ace whine. Smoker’s thumb on Ace’s hip massaged him softly as Smoker kept kissing Ace, trying to distract him from the pain

It wasn’t as bad as Ace had feared, but it was still a dull, stretching ache, and it was a weird feeling to adjust to

Smoker then shifted one of his hands and started to stroke Ace’s dick slowly, making Ace moan and arch his back slightly, relaxing the muscles as he sank lower

Ace was never so thankful to have an experienced boyfriend who apparently knew exactly what to do

Soon enough, Ace found himself fully seated in Smoker’s lap, feeling the soft hairs from the base of Smoker’s dick against his skin as he breathed, feeling the stretch and the burn settling. He now understood completely why people kept describing it as ‘feeling full’ because he sure felt it right now!

Smoker though, kept peppering Ace’s face with kisses, making Ace relax

After a moment, Ace realized that Smoker had been kissing his freckles, one by one as he kept rubbing his thumbs into Ace’s thighs, having abandoned Ace’s dick for now

“We’re you’re ready, I’ll let you set the pace” stated Smoker in a low, gentle voice, making Ace feel funny inside

Ace leaned in to kiss Smoker fully, appreciative

_“I love you so much. You’re so good to me_ ”

Smoker blushed brightly, clearly taken by surprise by the declaration

Ace knew it probably wasn’t the best time to say it, _but he couldn’t help himself_!

But before Smoker could say anything in response, Ace slowly lifted himself a bit up the shaft, and started to slowly ride, rocking his hips down, making Smoker moan, closing his eyes

Ace leaned forward, pushing Smoker slightly back against the pillows and cupped Smoker’s chest. He did swallow rocks, still trying to get used to the feeling

_It felt so good!_ But it wasn’t that amazing jolt of pleasure he had gotten earlier and he wanted that one again!

Smoker grunted slightly, tightening his grip on Ace’s hips and started to rock up, meeting Ace with every thrust. Ace gasp in shock as he found the spot, Smoker hitting it perfectly as the jolts of pleasure ran through his body again

_Jackpot_!

Ace sped up his pace, riding Smoker harder as he felt as if he would soon come _but it wasn’t enough_!

He needed just a little more to go over!

“T-Touch me! Please!” begged Ace and he quickly felt Smoker’s hand around his cock, pumping it in turn with his thrusts and soon enough, Ace came with one final jerk of his hips, moaning loudly as he arched his back

Ace couldn’t help but think how good Smoker looked with Ace’s come all over his chest, but Ace didn’t stop rocking his hips, feeling his body tighten against Smoker’s cock and feeling Smoker’s pace starting to fall apart as both hands returned on Ace’s hips. Smoker gripped him tightly and started to rock up harder – Ace knew he’d have bruises shaped like hands in the morning but he really didn’t care right now

With one last hard thrust, Ace felt Smoker come as well. He had wished that they hadn’t used a condom for a moment, wanting to feel Smoker’s come in him, but he knew that it wasn’t smart this early on

Oh well, maybe next time

Ace couldn’t help the grin on his face at the thought of a next time

_But now he was exhausted_

Ace whined softly as he felt Smoker move his hands to under his arms and slowly lifted Ace off his now limp dick

Not that it was the most comfortable place to be now, _but damnit, he had worked hard to get there_!

And now he felt rather empty

*

Smoker gently settled Ace down on the bed and softly brushed his bangs out of his face as Ace curled up on Smoker’s chest, wanting skin contact with the other

“Are you okay?”

Ace smiled gently, now feeling all bubbly and tingly in his post-orgasm bliss

“Yeaah, you felt _so good_ in me” admitted Ace, bringing his hand up to touch Smoker’s face, as if to make sure this wasn’t an elaborate dream

Smoker was quiet for a moment, as if he was studying Ace’s face as he leaned in to kiss him softly

Ace moaned softly into the kiss, pulling Smoker in

“I want to do more”

Smoker sighed, a small smile on his face as he sat up and carefully rolled off the condom off himself. Not wanting anything to spill and cause a mess

“Not tonight. You look completely exhausted. You had a long day, I’m going to draw you a bath so that your muscles can relax otherwise it’s going to hurt like a bitch in the morning”

Ace whined in response, making Smoker laugh softly as he turned, sitting on the side of the bed and stood up. Ace blinked, but then he smirked

“Heh heh heh, I marked you”

Smoker frowned and then he looked down at his come covered chest and rolled his eyes

“If anyone marked anyone here – it’s me, you should look at yourself”

Ace blinked and looked down and noticed that his body was filled with hickeys and bite marks, surprising him

_When did this all happen!?_

“Holy-! You’re an animal!”

Smoker didn’t respond, only smirked as he walked out of the room and into the adjoining bathroom. Moments later, Ace could hear the sound of the drain turning on

Ace sighed happily, sinking into the sheets

_Best Halloween ever!_

But a second letter, he felt mortified as he remembered what he had said

_I can’t believe I told him I loved him during sex!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! We're going right back to the party now and once again, I hope you guys liked it! =^=/


	58. -LAW- New Rule; Only I Can Give Us Nicknames (Worst What?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read the last chapter! I very appreciated the feedback and kudos! I was so nervous!! 
> 
> But now, we're back to Law and his ambitious plans and some new players enter the ring!

 

 

 

When Law was told that Marco did tattoos, his mind expected some grungy, dirty looking studio

Not this!

Law was in awe at the gorgeous studio in front of him. It had taken a while to get here – apparently the tattoo studio was in a rather isolated wing of the mansion. Once inside the space, Law could see that there also was an outside entrance. Which makes sense; it would be completely absurd to expect total strangers to go through the Whitebeard mansion for a tattoo appointment. But since they were already in the house, Marco probably figured there was nothing wrong with a big of a scenic route.

But Law couldn’t get over the studio. Counters made a marble, pungent smell of disinfectant in the room, hazardous waste bin – the whole nine yards! There was paintings that appeared to be from many different cultures of people being tattooed hung on the walls in beautiful golden frames and Law wasn’t sure if they were originals or not.

“Wow, this place is, it’s really gorgeous” admitted Law, in total awe

“Thank you, I worked hard to get it this way” said Marco, taking off the mask and then removing the big black coat he was wearing and putting it on the gorgeous blue leather couches that adorned the ‘waiting area’. In the middle there was this low table filled with magazines and books on tattoos. The whole place looked beyond legit, even with tvs hung on the ceiling, probably to entertain the person getting tattooed.

Marco was wearing simple slacks now and grabbed the purple vest on the couch and put it on, revealing the tattoo that Marco had on his own chest

“What does that mean?” asked Law, without thinking for a moment and then winced

He could hear Cora’s voice ringing in his ear, _yelling at him that it was rude to ask what someone’s tattoos meant out of the blue_

Marco merely chuckled, not fazed at all by the question

“It’s Pop’s old emblem. It changed a bit over the years, this is the simpler one, but later he wanted something more distinctive and grand, so we designed the new one”

“So basically people who have that one –“

“Are older members of the gang, yeah? In general, some newbies want this one, but they have to earn it” explained Marco as he grabbed a few binders “Take a seat, here’s a collection of things I’ve already done. But I think you’re coming to me with an idea”

Law nodded, sitting on the couch as Marco sat on the opposite end, putting down the binders between them

“Do you want something to drink before we start?” offered Marco

Honestly, Marco being this nice and professional _was kinda freaking him out_

 “No, no! Just, what I want is a big project” started Law, taking the sketchpad out of his lab coat’s inner pocket

“Like, in size or many?”

Law took a deep breath and opened up his sketch pad, showing to Marco the designed he had done

To simplify things, Law had checked an outline of himself out and had drawn the designs in their placements and did more detailed drawings of each individual tattoo on the opposite page

Marco’s jaw dropped

“Wow, I, you’re going to be mine for a long time, Trafalgar”

“I figured, but, yeah” said Law nervously, rubbing the back of his neck

But then he saw Marco frown sharply, pointing to one in particular

_Urgh, he knew it!_

“This chest piece-!”

“It’s not what you think!” cut in Law, panicking slightly “It-It’s Cora’s face!”

Marco looked at Law surprised, and then looked back down at the design, smiling warmly

“Similar but different, I see it now. Wow, you love him that much”

Law blinked, slightly surprised at the tone in Marco’s voice. A part of him was expecting for the other to mock him but he was hoping for this reaction

“I figured if anybody would understand, it would be you. Cora’s smile…means a lot to me”

_I love you!!_

_He was so glad Cora got his tooth fixed though_

Marco chuckled, nodding slightly

“You got that right. So, you also want the designs these sizes as well? That means you’ll be mostly covered in tattoos”

“That’s the idea” said Law, closing his eyes

“You’re trying to hide it, aren’t you?”

Law frowned sharply, glaring at Marco

“Where are you getting with that?”

_Was his discoloration that obvious_?!

“Relax. You’re the lone survivor of Amber Lead Syndrome. I know what that does to skin pigmentation, that’s it, isn’t it?”

Law hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, not seeing the point in lying to Marco

“Yeah, I also want to honor Cora and everything he’s done for me, so when this design came to me, I just really wanted it” admitted Law

“Slight issue though, Rosinante has to sign off on you getting tattooed. Did you plan on surprising him? Isn’t he going to ask about the design?”

“I’m going to ask him to trust me and just sign. Knowing Cora, he probably will but he’d want to be present for the actual tattooing – he’s _kinda_ of a mother hen”

_It was pretty embarrassing at times_

“That’s fine. I insist on the legal guardians being present for tattoos for minors anyways. Unless he’s one of ours”

Law raised a brow at that, slightly confused

“Why would that change anything?”

“Because when you join the Whitebeards, your guardian is me and Pops. _Pops legally_ , but you know. No matter what the law says, we’re responsible for you now. Besides, most of our members are orphans or adults anyways, so it’s not an issue”

“What about Ace?” asked Law, the curiosity getting the best of him because he knew that Ace was a special case

Marco only groaned

“Let’s not talk about the hot mess it is to deal with Garp D. Monkey, shall we? It’s bad enough that the old bastard won’t let Ace live here until he’s 18 for no good reason aside from that he’s an ass”

Law snorted, knowing first-hand how it was to deal with Garp

“Ahh, you have a point”

“Do you want any colour in these?” asked Marco, going right back to talking about the tattoos

Law shook his head

“No, solid black”

“You’re so mine for easily the next year, Trafalgar. What do you want to start with?”

“I know, I know. Can we start with the chest piece or is it too big for a first one?” Law sighed; he could see the dollar signs floating out of his wallet

“Usually I would decline, in case your pain tolerance is low. But I highly doubt it with you. I have an opening next Saturday if you want to get started? If you’ve got the stamina, we miiiight be able to do it in one go, but you’d be mine for a good solid 6 hours”

Law grinned brightly, taking out his wallet

“Let’s do it!”

 

“There he is!”

Law couldn’t stop smiling ever since he rejoined the party; he was so excited for next week!

Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were all hanging out together near one of the many food tables, smiling as well

“So how did it go?!” asked Bepo excited as he skipped up to Law

“Well, I’m 125$ pourer from the deposit, but Marco has me booked for next Saturday!” said Law proudly, grinning from ear to ear

“Oh that’s so cool! What are you going to get done?” asked Shachi

Law paused slightly, now a little embarrassed, but since he was going to get it done, he might as well just admit it to his friends who are going to see it

Law pulled out his sketchpad again, showing the designs

“Um, I’m going to start with the chest one first and then go from there”

“Isn’t that Cora’s smile?” asked Penguin, pointing to the face

Law bit the inside of his cheek, nodding slowly as he blushed furiously

And then he looked at the trio shocked as they all burst out into giant smiles

“Oh my god, that’s so cool!” yelled out Shachi, pumping his fist

“Oh man! I want Cora’s face tattooed on me!”

_The fuck, Penguin_?!

“Isn’t it really great?! Cora’s gonna sob like a baby, he’s going to be so touched by this, Law!” stated Bepo happily

Law blinked, surprised at his group but then laughed, not sure why he was honestly

His friends loved Cora so much

_He loved Cora so much_

 

“Law? Is that you?”

Law turned; surprised that someone would recognize him when he didn’t recognize the voice.

And to his surprise, there stood his online friend, Kid Eustass

Kid lived at the other end of the country, so he had no idea why he was here now! Or what the fuck he was dressed as either – it looked like just a bunch of ugly clothes on top of each other

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” asked Law, completely shocked at the other’s presence

“Aren’t you happy to see me, asshole? I came all the way down here for a party and I see your ass and this is how you treat me?” barked Kid, already getting pissed

Law rolled his eyes, his happy buzz crushed

“Spit it out, why are you here?”

“I was invited and so was my gang. I’m not dumb enough to miss out on a Whitebeard party. I think they’re scoping us out though. There’s talk about alliances being made between the Emperors and some newer gang. But, not like that matters to you or anything. Your weak baby ass is too straight and narrow now to be in a gang. It’s kinda pathetic to think you used to be a Donquixote!”

Law usually wouldn’t let this kind of talk get to him – _but there was just something about Kid that rubbed him the wrong way and always set him off_

But before he could say anything

“The hell you going on about?! Law’s in a gang!”

Law’s eyes widen as he stared at Shachi – _what the fuck?!_

“Yeah! He’s our leader, so you better shut up!” added Penguin, doing gang moves or something, Law wasn’t sure

_But damnit, they needed to stop_!

“Yeah! We’re the…- Heart gang! Because if you piss us off, that’s what Law is gonna carve out of you!” declared Bepo, going into a fighting stance

Law stayed mute for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders, not seeing the point of fighting it now

“You heard them” said Law, gesturing to his group with this thumb

“Well well well, about time you got your head out of your ass, Trafalgar. Guess you’re going to be joining the Worst Generation now”

“The what?” asked Law, first time hearing that name

“That would be all you young’ins, starting up gangs and starting up shit and feuds even though you have no idea what the fuck you’re doing” explained Marco, _popping out of fucking nowhere_!

Law jumped slightly, his face flushed

_Had Marco overheard all that gang shit_?!

“Hey man, I know what I’m doing!” snapped Kid at Marco, who didn’t looked too impressed

“Uh sure, let’s talk about that factory you blew up in Miami, killing all those people at the Marina” pointed out Marco

“Well maybe if the fucking dickhole hadn’t insulted me, I wouldn’t have had to put a grenade in his pants, causing the whole building to blow!”

Law snorted, biting his lip

Okay, it sounded horrible what Kid had done, _but he can’t say he was too surprised_

_Kid had one hell of a temper_ , which is why Law had kept their friendship online – he didn’t want Kid and Cora meeting

“You lost like, 5 gran of merchandise because you couldn’t keep your temper in check, I’m not impressed”

Not going to lie, _being ripped a new one by Marco is kinda really harsh, glad he wasn’t on the end of that_

“You want to start something, bird-brain?!” yelled Kid, grabbing the collar of Marco’s shirt

 

Instantly the whole party went instantly quiet and Law heard the sound of hundreds of guns being cocked, pointing in their direction

Law looked around in shock; every member of the Whitebeards had some sort of weapon aimed at Kid right now while everyone else at the party just watched quietly, holding their breath as they backed away from the shooting range

“You might want to rethink this decision” stated Marco calmly

Kid slowly let him go, but none of the Whitebeards lowered their weapons until Marco lifted his hand, signaling them to go on ease

“I hope you and your men will see your own way out” said Marco again as Jozu appeared behind Kid, glaring strongly at the other

Law watched quietly as Kid and a few others stormed out

 

“I hope you don’t mind me asking why you’re associated with _him_?” asked Marco, accepting the drink that Izo had offered him as he walked by and then integrated right back into the crowd of people as the party resumed

“Oh, we just, he’s an online acquaintance, we both like music and stuff” said Law, still a little dazed from everything that just happened

He knew Marco was powerful, _but holy shit_

“Hmm, not an ally to your gang?” asked Marco, taking a sip of his drink

Law turned bright red

“See-! The thing is-“

What the fuck could he say?! _That it was all a lie?!_ If that’s the case, Kid would find out and come after him! But he didn’t want to lie to Marco either?

“It’s brand new!” said Bepo, attempting to help Law

“I see” said Marco, crossing his arms, but then he smiled “If you want an alliance, feel free to come discuss it with us”

Law sighed

“I think we’re going to keep things super low-key for now”

“Oh, you mean like Luffy and his gang? They’re not really low-key though with all the shit they’ve been starting”

Law looked at Marco shocked

“You know?!”

“Oh, _we all do_. Minus Ace, _for now_ ”

 

“TORAO!”

Law fell back slightly as he got an armful of Luffy, who hugged him tightly

“Speaking of the devil” said Marco as he walked away from the two, clearly going back to enjoy the party

“You’re back! When did you get back?” asked Luffy

“A little while ago, I didn’t see you though” admitted Law – he had looked for the other in the room, but had no luck

“We went exploring! Nami wanted to go look around to see if we can find anything cool, but we totally got caught and lecture by this big guy! Apparently a lot of the mansion is off limits! So we’re going to dance now! C’mon Torao!”

Law nodded, but then turned his head and spotted Whitebeard looking right at him through the big crowd of people, Marco by his side, clearly telling him something

Law lost all the colour in his face

Marco had told him about the Heart Gang

He was now officially on Whitebeard’s radar

_Son of a bitch_!

 

“Oye! I have to ask you guys a question!” barked Law as Luffy followed, a little put off that they weren’t partying

Sanji and Zoro looked up from their place on the couches, clearly had been enjoying a quiet conversation together

_It was weird to see them so civil_

“What is it?”

“Whitebeard knows you guys are a gang! Did he ever try anything?”

Law couldn’t help the anxiety building up in his stomach – this was the worst situation! Regardless of if Luffy was clinging to him or not

“Whitebeard knows?” asked Zoro, almost surprised at the information

“Marco told me that he knew about you guys” confirmed Law, looking around, seeing if anyone was listening to them

“Well that’s shitty. Luffy, didn’t you say that Ace didn’t know?” asked Sanji, switching his left leg over his right one, Law momentarily distracted by the mile long legs Sanji had

“Ace doesn’t know! If he did, _he’d kill me_!” stressed Luffy, stealing a grape from the plate that was besides Sanji. Sanji merely sighed and held up the plate, allowing Luffy to help himself to the rest, which he gladly did

“Well Marco definitely knows and now he thinks I’m in a gang too, fuck” muttered Law, running a hand through his hair – _this was the last thing he wanted_!

“Why does Marco think you’re in a gang?” Zoro yawned loudly, stretching out his neck as his arm stretched out and curled around Sanji’s shoulders. Sanji in return looked at Zoro, not impressed with the move

“Because this bastard got me all riled up and the guys wanted to help me by coming up with this big story that we were in a gang called the Heart gang and Marco overheard” explained Law, sighing and taking a seat on the sectional couch, Luffy quickly sitting beside him

Zoro and Sanji burst out laughing, pissing Law off

Both of them raised their glasses, toasting Law

“Welcome to the world of gangs!”

Law whined softly, rubbing his face

“We’re going to be allies, right? Since you’re my boyfriend and stuff?” asked Luffy, a great big smile on his face

_Cora was going to kill him_!

 

 

 

This is basically what's in Law's sketchpad! Oda drew this though!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only Law would accidentally wind up leading a brand new gang! We're going back to Cora next week!


	59. -CORA- The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions and Bad Ideas (Wine and Halloween Candy is An Acceptable Combo, Right?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Chapter up a little early today because after work I have a talk about the Battle of Vimy Ridge to go to and I didn't want you guys to get the chapter much later than usual! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

“Umm…Rosinante, why do you have a bag of candy?”

Cora frowned as he angrily munched on the candy from the bag. Tearing up one wrapper after another, as he kept eating the gumballs, the Tootsie Rolls, suckers and more. He knew that he should be politely offering to share with everyone working tonight but for once in his life, he wanted to be selfish and mean and keep all the candy to himself!

“I got this from some kids as a reward” stated Cora coldly as he kept eating

“O-Oh…are you…Are you okay?”

Was he okay?

_No, no he wasn’t_!

_He had royally messed up with Buffalo and Baby 5_

_Law was going to go beat up a guy who idolized Do-freaking-ffy_

Speaking of Doffy, _the guy might be in the Warlord project,_ meaning he was fucking protected by the government _so what the hell was the point of him trying to take Doffy down for all those fucking years?!_

_And what Ace had said had completely thrown him for a loop! What the hell was with today?!_

“No” said Cora, frowning at his computer screen as he kept filling out the reports, but then he pushed the bag of candy on his desk slightly in Tashigi’s direction – as a silent apology for his behavior

Tashigi giggled slightly

“It’s alright, Rosinante, you’re allowed to be upset too, you know”

Cora paused slightly and sighed

It had been a rather big shit show with everything going on; maybe he was hitting his breaking point again

Cora also guiltily had restarted pretty much chain-smoking when Law wasn’t around – he should probably nip that in the bud

_Man, he was going to get drunk tonight for sure_

 

“Hey, is that Trafalgar guy here tonight?”

Cora looked up from his desk and to his surprise - _there was Hina_!

She was wearing burgundy two piece suit with a white dress shirt and black leather gloves, her heels clacking as she pushed her way past the reception desk and walked right up to Cora, frowning as she folded her arms

“Smoker said you wanted info from me”

Cora looked at her completely stunned, not sure how to respond to such an authoritative Hina in front of him

“Uh…yeah, but, you didn’t have to come in person, I’m sorry if I bothered you in some way! Do you want …candy?” asked Cora, offering the bag to the woman – _god she looked pissed_!

Hina glared at Cora for a moment and then reached down into the bag and grabbed a sucker. She ripped the wrapper off and stuck it in her mouth

“Couldn’t tell you the info any other way, Trafalgar. It’s highly confidential”

“Do you need me to leave?” asked Tashigi in a small voice – Cora was thankful that nobody was working in the front aside from them tonight

“Of course not, you can stay”

“Did you come straight from work?” asked Tashigi, looking over at Hina

Hina nodded

“Yeah, I was going to go over to Smoker’s place to share a beer and watch a horror movie with him as per Halloween tradition, but the asshole wasn’t picking up earlier and when he finally did, he told me that he had a guest over so I couldn’t come over but he sounded in a _really good mood_. But then he mentioned that Trafalgar needed info on the Warlord program. So basically the bastard probably got laid tonight so here I am”

Cora blushed furiously at the information

_That’s where Ace was going?!_

_No wonder he was in such a good mood_!

“To think I got replaced by a stupid brat” said Hina with a huff, crossing her arms

Tashigi merely chuckled, putting her hand on Hina’s arm

“Now, now, you said it yourself that Smoker’s in a much better mood since the two of them started going out”

Hina snorted

“I suppose. Anyways, Trafalgar!”

Cora jumped, surprised to be addressed again

“Yes Ma’am!”

Even though his military rank didn’t really apply anymore, Cora couldn’t help himself knowing very well that Hina’s a higher rank than he was

“I had to come give you the list in person, since it contains the name of a minor. So it’s impossible to print the list, understood?”

Cora nodded

“Okay, so the current seven Warlords are; Sir Crocodile Zero, Jinbei Kaikyo, Mihawk Dracule, Moriah Gekko, Kuma Bartholomew, Hancock Boa and Doflamingo Donquixote”

Cora felt his throat sink in stomach as he heard the name coming from Hina’s lips

“ _How could he_?” his voice came out weak and shaking

Cora thought that he would feel rage, but instead, _he just felt really hurt_

_How could Sengoku do this to him?_

How could he decide, _or even allow Doffy to be a Warlord_?!

“Well, considering that Donquixote was offered Warlord after your mission went array, I think it was for you”

Cora stared at Hina stunned

“What do you-?”

“A Warlord has very strict rules to allow them to keep their privileges. One of them is that they cannot attack the World Government. As such, _you are still a member of it_. Sengoku might have offered the position of Warlord to Donquixote so that he doesn’t try to attack you again”

Cora mulled over Hina’s explanation. It did make sense – _but why didn’t Sengoku tell him any of this?!_

“Who actually decides who becomes Warlord anyways?” asked Tashigi

“The Five Elder Stars have the final say. So Sengoku might have not had a choice in the matter either” stated Hina

Cora sighed, that made more sense – but Sengoku still shouldn’t have hidden it from him! But something else bothered him about the list

“How come they allow legal minors to be Warlords? Isn’t that pretty reckless?”

Cora didn’t want to think that they had _freaking kids on staff_

“It is, but they don’t care. If the Elders see potential, the offer is made, regardless of age. Hell, they approached a 14 year old a few years ago, but he declined”

Cora felt his blood run cold

“ _What?!_ What fourteen years old would be a gang leader?!”

 

Hina pause, crossing her arms and pursed her lips. Cora read her carefully, wondering why suddenly she seemed uncomfortable divulging this information. She sighed, sticking a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it up since the sucker was now done

“ _Ace D. Portgas, leader of the Spade gang was approached about the offer nearly four years ago”_

“ _What?!”_

Cora was in utter disbelief – _Ace?_!

“Yeah, the kid really got the Elder’s attention. I knew the brat’s name sounded familiar when Smoker introduced him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until I looked up the files again. It’s how he wound up on the radar for the World Government” explained Hina, distress clear in her eyes as much as she tried to hide it

_Ace had screwed himself up_!

Had he just lived a normal life, had he just went to school, got a part-time job and all that jazz, had he not joined a gang – he could have slipped under the radar for much longer

_But Ace was too good at what he does_

He drew attention to himself and that’s how he wound up on the radar

_That’s probably how Whitebeard had gotten wind of him too though_

Hmm

_Speaking of-_

“Do you think Whitebeard ever got offered a spot?”

Hina nodded

“Oh yeah, he did. But he said it would be a cold day in hell before he’s ever a government dog, but this was when the program first started”

Cora frowned deeply, he really needed to confirm a few things with the Whitebeards, but how could he get close enough?

As much as Whitebeard intimidated the shit out of him, he clearly cared deeply about Ace

The biggest question Cora had though was; _did the World Government already suspect Ace of being Roger’s son when they offered him the position or was it afterwards that they began to suspect it?_

Because had Ace agreed to be a Warlord, they would have instantly have brought him in and executed him – he was now under their jurisdiction so they had the right!

But when did Ace join the Whitebeards? Was it soon after? Because that would of made him untouchable!

_Until now, which means they’re desperate and might wind up doing something drastic to make sure Ace doesn’t make it to his birthday_

_Shit shit shit shit shit_!

 

“Is he…okay? He looks like he’s having an aneurysm” asked Hina, pointing to Cora, snapping him out of his thoughts

“That’s the face he makes when he’s figuring things out” explained Tashigi, as nicely as she could

“Thank you…Hina…for the information. Urgh, but now it brought up more questions” admitted Cora, sighing deeply

“Whatever you do though, don’t confront Sengoku about this!” warned Hina

“Huh?” Cora blinked, not sure how to handle what Hina just told him

“He’s been trying to make sure you wouldn’t find out! If you suddenly know, he might suspect something, so shut up about it! I know you just want to go confront Sengoku about this, and I don’t blame you! I’d be furiously pissed off too! _But don’t do it_! You might compromise the whole mission just to satisfy your curiosity!”

_Hina was right_

“You’re right. Thank you, for reminding me of that” said Cora, trying to keep his voice leveled

But before he could say anything, a text message appeared on his phone

 

_Law:_

_Is that offer for a ride still open_?

 

“Oh! Ah! Law needs a ride home!”

Tashigi smiled softly

“Go home, Rosinante. You had a long night and I can cover until the Captain comes in a few hours”

“A-Are you sure?” asked Cora, surprised

Tashigi nodded, smiling brightly

“Of course! Hina will keep me company!”

Cora smiled, relieved

 

“Um, hello, I’m here to pick up my sons? He’s at the party?”

The man in front of Cora at the gate of the Whitebeard estate was a rather large man with an impressive black mustache. Cora was leaning out his window of the car, waiting for the massive gate to open

But apparently first he needed permission

Fuuuucck

“Oh? Who’s your sons?”

“Bepo and Law Trafalgar”

Cora bit his lip – with the hundreds of people probably at this party, there was no way in hell that this guy would know who they were. Maybe he should call them and tell them to meet them out he-

“Oh! Wow, you’re much more attractive than your brother! Actually, I’d even say you’re pretty cute! Like a shaggy puppy!”

Cora blinked, slowly, not sure he just heard what he did correctly

“Huh?!”

“You’re Doflamingo’s little brother, right? We got the full report on you a while back”

_Oh god_

Cora groaned slightly, knowing he probably shouldn’t be surprised. But the man in front of him stuck out his hand

“I’m Vista,  5th Division Commander! Pleasure to meet you!”

Cora gladly shook Vista’s hand, smiling

“I’m Rosinante! But you probably shouldn’t tell me what Division you’re in considering I’m a cop”

Vista merely chuckled, taking his hand back

“What kind of people would we be if we were afraid of cops?”

Cora shrugged, the man had a point

 

Cora quickly drove up to the entrance, where Law and Bepo were waiting with Shachi and Penguin and Luffy. Cora blinked, frowning slightly – Law looked rather mad about something

“You’re coming with us and you’re going to tell Cora exactly what happened!”

_Tell me what?!_

Man he was glad he left his window down!

“Aww c’mon Law! I’m sure Cora won’t mind at all!” argued Penguin, but he looked like he was panicking

“I’m not taking the fall for this!” snapped back Law

Yeah, he’s mad

“Hey guys!” Cora figured he might as well announce his presence because clearly they were too caught up in their conversation

“Hey Cora… do you mind if Shachi and Penguin come over tonight?” Cora instantly raised a brow, not sure how to handle such a polite request from Law

“Can I sleep over too?” asked Luffy, rocking on the ball of his heels

“Why?” replied Law, looking confused at Luffy

_Oof, low blow for the boyfriend_

“To discuss our new alliance, silly!”

“Alliance? What kind of alliance?” happily asked Cora, hoping he would get an answer

 

Cora swears it all happened in slow motion

Shachi and Penguin lost all the colour in their faces

Bepo looked horrified at Luffy

Law looked like he was having a heart attack as Luffy happily answered him

“Oh! Law and me are going to make an alliance between our gangs, mister Rosisisi!”

Suddenly everyone froze in horror as Cora saw nothing but red

 

Cora turned off the car, opened the door quietly as he got out of the car. He grabbed Law by his collar, because now he was too big to be grabbed by his head, and lifted him up, Law’s feet not touching the ground anymore as Law tried to stay calm, but his eyes betraying him

“Explain to me why I did everything to get you out and you decided it was a good idea to get back in?”

Cora can’t remember the last time he was this mad! _What was with the children and disappointing him tonight_?!

“ _Put him down, Mister Rosisisi_!” yelled Luffy, clearly mad

“It’s a big misunderstanding that lead me to be now the leader of a gang consisting of me, Bepo, Shachi and Penguin!” blurted out Law

Cora blinked, instantly calming down as he put Law back on the ground, puffing his cheeks and crossing his arms

“You had me worried!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, Cora! This is why I wanted to wait until we’re at home to tell you about it” admitted Law, rubbing his neck slightly as he turned to Luffy “Not tonight, okay?”

Luffy nodded and leaned into Law, who leaned in as well, the two sharing a quick kiss

Cora huffed slightly, a childish part of him wanted to disturb the sweet display since he was still rather ticked off at Law

But soon after, Law didn’t try his patience and all the boys climbed into the car

 

“…and that’s why we’re apparently now a gang” finished Law, looking still frustrated at the whole affair

Cora sighed, completely relieved

_Even though it was the stupidest situation he had ever heard of_

“Okay, so, number one, you are all forgiven because _what the fuck_. Two, please don’t do anything illegal, I won’t be able to cover for you guys, but…why the Heart Gang of all names?”

“Oh! I came up with it on the spot because of you!” admitted Bepo from the back

“Me?!”

“Yeah! _Corazon_! So we’re the Heart gang!” pitched in Penguin, with a huge smile on his face

Cora could feel his own heart tightening up – _he just wishes they hadn’t named a gang after him_ , but it was so sweet of them!

“We even have a cool symbol! Law designed it! So we’re gonna make patches and stuff to put on our stuff to look more legit!” declared Shachi

Law quickly whipped around and glared at the passengers in the back

“ _Since when was that decided?!”_

“Oh, we talked about it when you and Luffy went off to go dancing!” explained Penguin, sinking in his seat with the others

Cora had to snort at the mental image of _Law dancing_

Law sighed, clearly defeated, but then turned to look at Cora

“Hey, my tattoo appointment is this coming Saturday. I know you’re probably kinda pissed at me now, but Marco said that he’d be more at ease if the legal guardian was present. Do you think it’ll be okay?”

Cora blinked – he had forgotten about the whole tattoo thing!

_Actually, maybe he could get two birds with one stone here_

“Of course Law! I’ll be glad to come!” said Cora happily, ruffling up Law’s hair at the same time, letting Law know that he isn’t mad at him anymore

_Time to get over his anxiety to meet the fabled Newgate Edward_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! 
> 
> After the next chapter, we're moving on from Halloween and also going to start going down that slope! (whatever that means~)


	60. -ACE- Time To Do The Victory March! (Because There’s No Shame Here, Baby!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Last chapter of the Halloween party! Time for some talking and some learning!
> 
> EDIT: Aww shit! Thank you Ryuichi for pointing out this typo I made!! I just corrected it!

 

 

The hot water was doing wonders for Ace’s muscles

Every muscle ached, but the warm water was slowly easing the soreness

Minus of course _, the one to Ace’s pride_

He couldn’t believe it

_It had been nearly an hour now and he was still completely mortified_

A moment later, Smoker entered the bathroom, holding a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of water as Justice burst into the bathroom, trotting up to Ace happily

Ace blinked, looking at the other confused as he petted Justice

“Knowing you, I figured you fasted before you got here. You have to be hungry”

Ace, still a deep deep red, nodded, unable to look at Smoker in the eyes right now

“You were gone a while” pointed out Ace, almost muttering as he looked at the water

Smoker grunted, his cigars back in his mouth, wearing nothing more than a light grey bathrobe that was barely tied

“I had to change the sheets and then I brought Justice inside. Then my damn phone rang and I got an earful out of Hina and then I made you this”

Ace nodded, taking the sandwich and bottle of water and put it down besides the tub – the last thing he needed was to pass out in the tub

“What’s wrong?”

Ace looked at Smoker surprised – _was it that obvious_?!

“I can tell what someone’s feeling but I’m no good at knowing why, so spit it out!”

Ace bit his lip, pulling his knees in close

“Join me?”

Smoker grunted in response, taking off his bathrobe, letting it fall to the ground

“Scoot forward, I’ll get in behind you”

Ace nodded, doing just as he ordered as Smoker slid into the tub behind him, putting his cigars in an ashtray on top of the toilet besides the tub. It was a tight fit, but thankfully Smoker had the tub for it, but the water spilled over onto the floor

Ace sighed happily as he leaned into Smoker’s chest. A little embarrassed at how right Sabo had been about him being sentimental

_Well, a little bit more embarrassed than he already way_

“Out with it, brat”

“I…I’m just embarrassed at what I said during sex” admitted Ace, playing with the water in front of him with his fingers

“I’m used to your shitty jokes by now, it’s not something to be embarrassed about” replied Smoker as he wrapped his arms around Ace’s waist and pulled him in a little closer. Ace shivered slightly as he felt Smoker take a deep breathe, inhaling the smell of his hair

“N-Not that!” snapped Ace, getting pissed as he turned his head around to look at Smoker “ _I told you I loved you_!”

Smoker stared at Ace for a moment, taking one of the cigars off the ashtray and inhaled. He then lifted a brow

“ _And_? It’s not like it’s the first you’ve told me you loved me”

Ace could now only see red

“ _Maybe you have me mistaken for someone else?!”_

Smoker blinked, surprised at Ace’s outburst

“Why are you mad?”

“I’m mortified that I said it for the first time during sex _and you’re making fucking jokes_!”

“I’m not making jokes and I have proof. Once we get out of this tub, I’ll show you. It’s on my phone. For now, how about we just relax? You have nothing to be embarrassed about anyways. _It was surprising_ , but it was…nice to hear” admitted Smoker, his cheeks a little flushed as he picked up the plate with the sandwich and offered it to Ace again

Ace smiled a bit but huffed his cheeks, now a little calmer as he took the offered place with one hand, and took the sandwich in the other, taking one huge bite

 _Man he was hungry_!

 

Ace yawned loudly. He smacked his lips as he groggily opened his eyes, looking around

_Wasn’t he in the tub last time he remembered?_

Ace looked down at himself, and from what he could tell and feel, he was in Smoker’s bed. But he thinks he’s wearing a big t-shirt and his boxers? He really wasn’t sure

But one thing for sure, he was curled up to Smoker, his head resting on the other man’s chest with Justice rolled into a ball at their feet. Smoker’s arm was around him, pulling him in tightly. Ace smiled softly – guess he fell asleep in the tub. _He was exhausted though_ , but by the look of outside, it was still nighttime

Smoker shifted slightly and opened his eyes, looking right at Ace

“Morning. You slept like the dead so I figured you needed it and put you to bed”

Ace blushed slightly, closing his eyes as he nuzzled Smoker’s chest

“Hmm, I was tired. The warm water was so nice too”

“How do you feel? Does anywhere hurt?” asked Smoker, clearly avoiding looking at all of Ace’s new bruises and hickeys

_How did he feel?_

Ace felt stiff and sore, like he had done a really good workout but honestly, _his ass was hurting most of all._ It felt like something large got shoved in there, stretching it out and well…that’s exactly what happened

Huh

“Sore” admitted Ace, smiling

Smoker frowned slightly and leaned in, kissing Ace’s cheek

“I’m sorry”

“No! Don’t apologize to me! It’s so worth it for how amazing you made feel!” Smoker blushed furiously at Ace’s confession

“Was I okay?” Ace didn’t know if his pride could handle it if he had sucked – but he can’t learn to get better otherwise, right?

“Again, I ask, _was this really your first time_?”

Ace blushed slightly, grinning proudly

“Heh heh, I just wish I would have been able to suck you off though” mumbled Ace, pouting slightly

Smoker frowned sharply, not impressed at Ace

“ _What is your obsession with my dick?!”_

“It’s a very nice dick” admitted Ace, patting the spot on the bed covers where Smoker’s crotch laid underneath “I like to put lovely things in my mouth, you see”

“ _You’re ridiculous_ ” said Smoker, rolling his eyes and taking his phone off his bedside table, quickly typing in the password. Now Ace could see that it was 4:30am. Meaning that Smoker was probably about to get ready for work

“I think someone had proof to show me!” said Ace, nuzzling Smoker’s chest again

Smoker snorted, still playing on his pone as he pulled up a video file, starting it

 _Oh no, he was in the carrot onesie_!

“W-Wait! Was that when I was sick?!”

“Yep”

“ _Chhaaaasssee_!” Ace turned bright red, he sounded so stuffed up in the video “ _Chaaasssse guess whaaat_ ”

“ _What_ ” replied Smoker off camera; apparently he was trying to keep himself from laughing as he took the video

“ _I love yoooou!”_

“ _What?”_

_Oh dear god no_

_“I love you! I love you so much! You make me feel so happy and safe! I’m so so in love with you Chase! I know I’m a dumb kid, but you make me feel so special and wanted-“_

“I know you were sick” started Smoker, looking a bit to the side as he stopped the video “And I didn’t mean to record all that, you just kept singing songs and I thought you were about to start another one. I wasn’t expecting that. But I thought you remembered and didn’t want to bring it up, so I didn’t push”

“I-I…I had no idea I said all that _” Could the ground just goddamn open up and swallow him whole right now please_?!

“Ace… _I’m not…the type to say it but_ , I hope you understand _that I feel the same way_ ”

Ace could feel the butterflies going nuts in his stomach as he lunged forward and kissed Smoker deeply – _morning breath be damned!_

“I do, I do! I love you too!” replied Ace, smiling brightly

Smoker smiled softly, gently pushing Ace’s bangs back with his hand

“I have to go get ready for work now. Do you want me to give you a ride anywhere?”

Ace shook his head

“Naw, I have a breakfast date with Sabo and Koala this morning. So I’m just gonna walk over to Koala’s apartment, it’s not far from here, remember?”

 _Ace didn’t actually have plans with them_ – but he didn’t want to make Smoker feel like he was kicking him out either and he had planned on seeing Sabo this morning

Smoker lifted a brow as he shifted out of the embrace he was in, throwing the blankets back

“You don’t have anything to change into though? I checked your bag when you fell asleep to change you but didn’t find a change of clothes. Hence why you’re wearing one of my old t-shirts”

Ace anxiety spiked instantly – did he leave anything he didn’t want Smoker finding in his bag?!

Well, _minus the enema kit_ , he couldn’t think of anything – he had left his gloves at home

“Ahh, it’s okay! I’ll just walk over to Koala’s in my costume, it’s no big deal. And like you said – it’s not that different than from I usually wear” teased Ace, purring slightly as he lounged on the bed, watching Smoker get dressed into his police uniform

“If you’re sure” replied Smoker, trying not to blush with the obvious eyes on him

“Can I come over this week?” asked Ace, hopeful as he laid his head on Justice, surprising her awake

“You know when I’m home” started Smoker, finishing buttoning up his shirt, but then he turned around, pointing at Ace “But don’t think we’re going to be having sex all the time. I’m tired after work!”

Ace blinked, surprised, then laughed

“Oooh, the old man has no stamina! How about I just fuck myself in front of you and when you catch your breath, you can join me?”

Smoker rolled his eyes, grabbing a pillow off the bed and threw it at Ace, making him laugh harder

 

After many long lingering kisses, Smoker left to go to work and Ace promised to lock up after the other. It didn’t take long for Ace to get redressed in his costume, now packing away the giant paws though and the t-shirt he had stolen from Smoker as well

He was sure that Smoker wouldn’t miss it

Ace grinned brightly when he noticed the small note on the table with a key on top

Did Smoker give him a key?

Ace couldn’t stop the warm feeling in his chest as he picked up the key and the note that confirmed such. Now Ace didn’t have to worry about keeping the door unlocked!

But it also meant he could come over whenever he wanted now too!

 

Ace winced as he kept walking through the streets. He hadn’t expected the pain to be so prominent in his backside or well – _his ass_

_Maybe he should have accepted that ride after all…_

Suddenly a loud whistle distracted him from his thoughts and suddenly hooting and hollering began soon after. Ace blinked, and then laughed brightly when he noticed it was Koala and Sabo doing it. The two were sitting on the steps of Koala’s apartment building, coffee cups in hand, while wearing big sweaters and pj pants

“Look who’s heeerrre! Didn’t think you’d be part of the parade this morning!” said Koala, laughing brightly

“Aww, Ace finally met someone he trusted enough to tear his ass in two” teased Sabo, making Ace groan loudly

“Parade?” asked Ace, not even willing to acknowledge Sabo’s comment – Sabo didn’t need to know that it’s what it felt like right now

“Yep! Every November 1rst, Sabo and I like to sit on the steps and watch the parade of people walking by with half their costumes on and try to figure out what the costume originally was!”

Ace playfully gasped

“ _You’re not shaming people_ , are you, Koala? Not you two!”

“Absolutely not! I have nothing but joy for people coming back from a fun night!” stated Koala, pouting at Ace’s insinuation

 

Suddenly the building door open and Hack walked out, holding a Plusheen donut pillow and Ace groaned again as Koala and Sabo howled in laughter

“ _You dicks got me an ass pillow?!_ ”

“Technically, it’s a _coccyx pillow_ ” corrected Sabo as Ace came up to them and gladly took the pillow from Hack

_He wasn’t sure his ass could take straight up concrete right now_

“We figured you could use it!” said Koala, grinning

“How did you know I was coming?” asked Ace, surprised as he sat down besides Koala, wincing

_It still hurt, but at least it felt better than right on the steps_

“C’mon Ace! In what universe would you have one of the biggest nights in your life and not come tell me about it right away?” asked Sabo as Ace leaned over and snatched away Sabo’s coffee mug and started to drink it

“That’s a good point!”

“But we figured you’d stay a little longer with him” admitted Koala, frowning “Did he kick you out?! I’ll go kick his ass right now!”

Ace’s chest felt all nice and warm, he had such good friends

Or it was Sabo’s coffee

Probably both

“Naw, he had to work. He always starts at 6am on Saturdays” explained Ace, sighing as he drank more of Sabo’s coffee

“You know his schedule?” asked Sabo, raising a brow as he tried to take back his mug, but Ace wasn’t having it

“It doesn’t really change much and we have been dating a while”

“Hmm, how useful is that though? Knowing the Chief of Police’s schedule” mused Koala, smirking slightly “Man, the things I could do with that”

Ace whined

 _That sounded so shady_!

“If I was using him, _totally”_ admitted Ace, frowning “But I’m not!”

“Not saying you are, but you have to admit, it’s good information to know for your Whitebeard activities. _You knew he wasn’t on duty last night_! That’s some solid information to have” pointed out Koala

“But I also know that if anything were to happen, that he would instantly go on duty! He did it last time with that Donquixote gang girl!” _Ace loathed this line of questioning_!

“Speaking of that – what the hell is with her replacement at school? Mr.Ceasar? _He’s so weird_!” said Sabo

Good old Sabo, changing the topic before Ace got pissed

“Watch he’s an associate of Doflamingo as well” pointed out Ace, chuckling

Sabo and Koala were both silent

Wait

_Really?!_

“You’re shitting me?!” asked Ace, shocked

Koala merely stood up

“Shall we go inside?”

 

Ace walked into Hack and Koala’s apartment as Sabo closed the door behind him. The Revolutionary Army was ingenious and had bought a series of apartment buildings in the same area so that they could all be living together. It also assured that no sensitive information got out as well.

Since Koala and Hack worked together as a team – they shared an apartment. Next year, Sabo was going to move-in as well because his parents forbid it while he was in high school. But honestly Ace wasn’t sure if he was moving into this unit – or the one with Dragon

It was a really nice two-bedroom apartment and honestly, Ace kinda wished he lived here too

Well, minus all the aquariums around the apartment. Hack and Koala had a thing for fish

“So, mister Ceasar is an associate of Donquixote?!” asked Ace, still reeling from the information

“So you told him?” asked Hack from the kitchen, clearly cooking up a storm for breakfast

_Guess Ace was gonna get that brunch after all!_

“No, not yet. We’re about to” explained Sabo, sighing as he plopped down on the couch

Ace frowned as he took his donut pillow and laid it down on one of the seats before he sat down. Koala sighed, sitting down as well

“We had a big staff meeting last night”

“I thought you were also getting laid!” said Ace, shocked

“ _That still happened_ ” said Hack from the kitchen, making Ace snort

“Well…meeting first. Anyways, a few things were discussed. One; the identity of Clown Ceasar-“

“ _What kind of awful parent names their kid ‘Clown’?!”_

“ _Anyways_ ” continued Sabo, clearly annoyed with the sidebar “Clown Ceasar is actually a rather well known scientist – _for being deranged_. He breached ethics many many times hence why he was removed from Vegapunk’s team years ago as well as kicked out of every scientific community possible. Last news, he was working on this powerful drug that messes with your genetic abilities. But he’s mostly known for his creation of very potent toxic gasses”

Ace couldn’t believe what he was hearing

“You mean – he’s actually-?! But what does that have to do with Donquixote?”

“Well, we believe he’s with Donquixote, as in, working under him. We don’t believe he’s an actual official associate, but as long as he’s on Donquixote’s payroll, the World Government can’t touch him if he’s found out” continued Koala, sighing

“Huh? Why not? He’s doing illegal shit? What does Doflamingo have to do with it?” asked Ace, confused

“Ace, he’s a Warlord! Didn’t you know?” asked Sabo, surprised

“Huh? He is? Why does he want to be a government dog?”

“Because it means that the Government can’t touch you if you do illegal things; it’s the trade-off” explained Koala

Ace huffed

“ _That’s total bullshit._ Had I agreed, I know they would have arrested me on the spot” said Ace, frowning

“Had you agreed? Ace, were you asked to be a Warlord?!” asked Sabo, completely shocked

“Yeah, but like, _years ago_. When I still leader of the Spade’s – did I never tell you this?”

That was the probably with Sabo being gone from his life for so long – _there’s so much that wasn’t told_

“Holy…That’s kinda wild, Ace” admitted Sabo, chuckling

“Enough about that though, but what the hell is Clown doing at our school then?”

“We think he’s still working on that drug of his under the cover of the school’s chemistry teacher. But we think Doflamingo is using him to also keep an eye on Law” explained Koala

“Huh, well that’s shit”

_Poor Law, guy can’t even catch a break_

“Also…Ace…We got summoned to do a really big job overseas” said Sabo, frowning as he looked down

“Oh? That’s cool though! Why are you bummed out about it?” Ace frowned as well, a bad feeling in his chest

“Well…we’ll leave a week before Christmas vacation and won’t be back until next year”

_Oh no_

“You’ll miss my birthday?” asked Ace, hating how sad his voice sounded

“I’m going to try really hard to come back on the 1rst!” declared Sabo, determined

“But it all depends on how the mission goes” finished Koala “But we’ll try. Sabo really wants to be there since...”

“It’s your first birthday since we reunited” said Sabo, smiling sadly

Ace forced himself to smile brightly

“Just do your best, okay Sabo but don’t be reckless! I’d rather you come back late than not at all!”

Ace just wished he could get rid of that sinking feeling in his chest

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onward! We've reached November in this fic finally! I'm so excited! Things are heating up!
> 
> Also fun fact for me, my birthday is this Thursday! Thank you so much everyone for reading this fic! It makes me so happy that it makes you all happy! (well, I hope anyways!)


	61. -LAW- Sting of A Thousand Bees (Or You Know, Getting Ink-Quisitioned!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a tricky chapter to write, straight up being honest about it. I've thought long and hard, wondering how the hell to bring this into the picture and I think I found a way that's somewhat realistic?
> 
> Well I tried!

 

 

 

 “Wow, good thing you don’t really have any hair on your chest”

Law glared at Bepo through the mirror in the bathroom. The other was sitting on the counter, watching Law as he shaved himself, getting ready for the tattoo

Granted, Bepo was a rather hairy guy, especially for a teenager, so he probably had a point, but Law didn’t want to be reminded of how hairy _he wasn’t_

His dad had been rather hairy, now that he thought about it – maybe this was a side effect of   
the disease? Because he can feel hair on his chest, but it’s so pale and translucent

Law growled, shaking his head, enough of this! _He had to keep shaving his chest_!

“What do you want for your birthday, anyways? It’s coming up” said Law, nonchalantly, not wanting to continue with the previous topic

“I don’t really want stuff” admitted Bepo, slowly rocking in place “I just want a nice fun night with the gang! Maybe go bowling or something! I want memories before things”

Law nodded, it made perfect sense to him. Bepo, for as long as he knew him, wasn’t materialistic at all. Law always wondered that if that was a personal thing, or a side effect of having lost his entire family so quickly

“Alright, that can probably be arranged. Cora has been wanting to plan something but he didn’t want to straight-up ask. So he’s been nagging to _discreetly_ ask you” admitted Law, making Bepo laugh

“You can bring Luffy if you want!” added Bepo, grinning

“Naw, let’s just keep it just us”

Bepo frowned slightly, raising a brow

“You know, outside of school, you and Luffy don’t seem to see each other much. And when you do, your dates are never that long either” pointed out Bepo

Law sighed deeply

“It’s because Luffy’s usually with his group of friends on weekends. It’s hard to date someone when he brings his entire entourage and lately, he’s been rather busy. I’m suspecting _Strawhat_ activity”

“He doesn’t tell you?” asked Bepo, surprised

“If I learned anything about Luffy, it’s that if you don’t ask him about things, he doesn’t talk about it. He’s an open book, but you have to open it yourself. It’s a pain” Law didn’t mean to be gripping about Luffy, but he was super nervous about this tattoo and it was distracting him to bitch, so why not?

“It’s still really weird to think that a guy like Luffy is in a gang, honestly”

“Honestly, I think it’s more like Luffy does what he wants, laws be damned” admitted Law, making Bepo laugh again

“Speaking of – apparently Miss Robin and Franky have been seen with the rest of the Strawhats”

Law paused his shaving, turning to look at Bepo – _this was surprising_!

“Seriously? They don’t seem the type to be join in that kind of stuff”

“You think so? They’re both kinda really weird, I think they fit in really well with them” pointed out Bepo

Law shrugged, he had a point

“Speaking of weird people though, have you heard anything about Brook? He hasn’t been in school in a while, so practice keeps getting cancelled. When I asked Zoro though, _he said that Luffy was on it_ – which clearly can’t be good” explained Law, hoping Bepo had some information

Bepo wasn’t an informant in any way, but people tend to forget he was there when they talked, _so he overheard a lot_

“Well, he’s another one that we don’t really know much about before he got to our sc-“

Suddenly Cora burst into the room, shoving a bunch of folders into his messenger bag. He was dressed rather sharply in a dress shirt and a tie. Law raised a brow – he was just coming as a guardian, why the dress up?

“Are you guys ready?”

Law nodded, shooting Bepo a look, clearly indicating that they’ll talk about this later

 

“Did you bring work or stuff, Cora?”

Law sighed, relieved that Bepo was asking Cora. Cora had seemed nervous, his knees slightly shaking and his hands as well as he drove them to the mansion. Something was clearly on the other’s mind, and it was driving Law nuts!

“Ahh -! Yeah, I figured that since Law would be in that chair for quite a while that I would take advantage of being in the mansion to have a bit of a talk with Newgate Edward”

Total silence overcame the car as a thick tension took over

Both Law and Bepo looked at Cora horrified as Cora hunched slightly, trying to make himself seem smaller

“Are you mad?!” roared Law, horrified

_What?!_

_What the hell was Cora thinking?!_

_Is he insane?!_

_Whitebeard  hated the Donquixotes with a passion! What if simply being related to Doflamingo was enough to send Whitebeard into a flying rage_?!

“Are you using my appointment for your own gains?!” screamed Law

“Pretty much, yeah” admitted Cora sheepishly

“Nobody can get near Whitebeard without Marco’s approuval though, Cora!” pointed out Bepo from the back seat, still in shock

“Oh I know. Hence why I already got it” stated Cora, grinning brightly as he fished out his cellphone from his pocket, showing the two the text

_And there it was – permission from Marco, all written out in a text_

“Where the hell did you get Marco’s number from?” asked Law, completely shocked

“Izo gave it to me”

“How are you friends with Izo?” Bepo couldn’t hide the wonder from his voice with his question

Cora sighed loudly

“That one time at the restaurant. Guys, don’t worry. It’s fine!”

“You’re the one shaking, Cora” pointed out Bepo, making Cora whine loudly

“I’m nervous, okay! _This is the Whitebeard I’m going to be talking with_! What if he doesn’t like me?!”

“It explains this present and bottle of booze. I thought it was a weird thing to give to Marco” said Bepo, looking at said items besides him in the backseat

“Yeah! It’s a really expensive brew too! I heard he had a rather refined pallet so I had to pull a few strings to ask what his favourite drink was!”

Law frowned sharply – what kind of strings did Cora have to pull to know that kind of information?

Cora simply smiled at Law, as if he read his mind

“Bellemere is friends with his daughter”

“What are you guys going to talk about?” asked Law, satisfied with Cora’s answer, but filing the information away for later

“Ah, I have a few things to confirm with him. It’s a bit of stuff here and there, so I’ll explain all of it to you guys once I get my answers” answered Cora happily as he ruffled Law’s hair

 

Once they got to the massive gate, they were quickly buzzed in. This time though, a Whitebeard that Law didn’t know directed them to a small parking lot off the side with an entrance. With the sign, ‘Phoenix Tattoos’ shining brightly, Law could only assume that this was the door from outside that led to the studio.

All three walked in and Law blinked, the overwhelming smell of antiseptics hit him at once. Clearly Marco had sterilized the whole room but suddenly his family’s faces popped into his mind

_Mom_

_Dad_

_Lami_

_Suddenly he thought of his family’s hospital_

_The smell of the musty medical books_

_The smell of the coffee always brewing for the staff_

_Lami’s laugh as she ran through the halls, looking for him_

_His father’s warm hand on his shoulder, pulling him in to show him something new_

_His mother’s encouraging words and advice as he asked questions_

_Then he remembered the fire and the -_

“LAW”

Law’s head snapped towards the sound, looking at Cora surprised

The other was looking at him worryingly

_Shit!_

“Are you okay? You were just standing there! Do you want to go home? We can cancel?”

Law groaned, shaking his head

“No…sorry, I didn’t…I didn’t mean to zone out”

“Is he okay?”

Law looked up at the new voice, Marco coming up towards him, holding a clipboard

Law nodded, taking the clipboard, looking at the waiver as Marco talked

“So basically, I need you to read over this, fill it out. Then your guardian needs to also sign it. I did a template of your design in different sizes and we’re gonna check what you like best and then get started. I hope you already shaved like I asked”

Law took the pen on the clipboard and started to fill out the information and then frowned sharply

“I think you gave me the wrong form”

“Why?” asked Marco, his face didn’t seem unfazed at all

“It’s asking me if I’m pregnant”

“I make it a policy to not assume things. Everyone gets asked the same things”

Law blinked, surprised at the answer but then felt like such an ass for even having asked

“Good point. But there’s the slight issue that I’ve never had sex”

Law made a point to ignore Cora choking on his spit at the comment as he held out the finished waiver for Marco take back, who merely handed it to Cora. Cora quickly signed it off

“Maybe you’re carrying our next Lord and Savior, _bendito hijo de Dios_ ” teased Marco, grinning as he took back the clipboard

_Blessed child of God my ass_

“ _Bambino maledetto_ is more like it” mumbled Law; it would be a total curse more than anything

Marco laughed brightly, gesturing Law towards the studio area

 

Law shivered slightly as Marco started cleaning off his chest, the liquid was so cold! His t-shirt had already been discarded. Law watched carefully as Marco lifted the size that Law had picked and carefully placed the imprint on him. Moments later, after Marco had completely molested his chest pressing down on the transfer paper on every inch of skin – it was removed, showing a copy of what his tattoo will look like when it’s done

“So what do you think?” asked Marco as Bepo watched silently from his chair in back of the studio

“It…I... _This feels right_ ” admitted Law, seeing the design on his chest, it made him feel like this was exactly what he was supposed to look like

Marco grinned

“Exactly what I want to hear! Now get in the chair”

Law watched as Marco prepared the ink and the tattoo machine – honestly he was really in awe at what point Marco was being so meticulous and sterile about it all

Hell, _he was even wearing gloves!_

“You’re ready?”

Law silently nodded as Bepo craned his neck slightly, trying to get a better view

And Law heard the machine come to life

And _HOLY SHIT_

It wasn’t painful per say

_Well, it was, but it wasn’t?!_

It was weird!

But soon enough, his body adjusted to the pain and settled, making it more tolerable

Honestly, the sound of the machine was annoying him more than anything

Shooting a look towards the waiting area, he could see Cora looking over discreetly at Law, worryingly

Law sighed, not surprised that Cora would be worried about him, so he smiled, to reassure the other

Cora visibly relaxed, comforting Law as well

“What’s it like?” asked Bepo, breaking the silence

“Like getting tons of small scratches” said Marco, pausing for a moment, surprising Law as he looked towards the door heading upstairs, almost waiting on something

 

“Hey! He’s ready!”

Law blinked, surprised to see Ace bursting into the tattoo studio

_What the fuck is that shirt?! It looked like he skinned a giraffe_!

“ _Ace?!_ Ace is the escort?” blurted out Cora, shocked

“Is he a bad choice?” asked Marco calmly, but a smirk was evident on his face

Cora smiled brightly, still surprised

“No! He’s excellent! I just didn’t think that you would-“

Marco lifted his free hand, signaling for Cora to stop talking

“Get going, Pops doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Ace, mind turning on the music?”

Law watched quietly as Ace jogged up to them, taking a small remote and turned on a sound system, playing music quietly. Ace then went up to Cora and the two of them walked out of the room using the door they had used at the party – indicating that they were going back into the mansion

“Any idea what they’re going to talk about?” asked Law, eyes narrowing

Marco snorted as he kept tattooing

“Of course I do. Otherwise none of this would have been arranged”

“Is Cora in any danger” asked Law bluntly

“No. Pops has nothing against him, well, nothing too bad anyways” admitted Marco, shrugging

“Hey, what the hell could he possibly have against Cora?!” asked Bepo from his place, shocked

“He betrayed family. Pops doesn’t fault him because that family is _Doflamingo_ , but still. Loyalty is the iron clad rule around these parts. Family is everything” explained Marco as he kept tattooing

“What about you? What brought you here?” asked Law

Marco lifted a brow, looking up at Law’s face

“Awfully chatty today, aren’t you?”

“Maybe Cora’s not the only one gathering info” admitted Law, making Marco chuckle

“Pretty useless information then, I have to say. I was an orphan from a small Mexican village and Pops came across me and decided to take me in because he felt bad for me”

Law knew that Marco was purposely skimming, but he didn’t want to pry more than necessary for now

“Did he legally adopt you? Are you legally Marco Edward?”

“Yep. I’m also the executor of his Will if anything happens too”

Law blinked, surprised to hear that

“Cora said that Whitebeard had a daughter? Is she adopted too?”

“Yep, Eleanor. And no, Pops’ was married a long time ago”

“How come she’s not in charge of the Will?” asked Law, a little surprised

Marco sighed, smiling sheepishly

“Pops is a great man, _but he can be rather old fashioned at times_. He didn’t want to put his daughter in any danger of the sorts. And honestly, Eleanor likes running her bar just fine” explained Marco

“Is that why there’s no female members of the Whitebeards? Are any of them his biological sons?”

Law felt Marco pause his movements at the question for a brief moment and then continue tattooing

“Yeah, he wanted just men. Also I think he was a bit afraid of what can possibly happen to a few women in a large group of men. I’d like to think that none of us would do such a thing, but you never know” then Marco sighed again “And yes, he has a biological son. But they’re not on good terms, so he’s a non-issue and I’d rather not talk about him, if you don’t mind”

Law nodded, getting the hint and fell in a comfortable silence as Marco kept tattooing his chest

 

A couple of hours passed in silence and suddenly Cora came back down into the room, grinning from ear to ear

“Hello! We’ve been invited to dinner! Bepo! Do you want to come?”

Bepo hopped off his chair, excited. The other had fallen a while ago, but the prospect of a meal was a good way to wake him up!

But then he paused, looking back at Law

“Oh…but Law”

“No man, go eat” insisted Law “Bring me something back would you?”

There was something he wanted to discuss alone with Marco for a while now, _and this might be the perfect chance to do so_

“Don’t worry; two plates will be brought down to us. Rosinante? I assume Thatch asked you about dietary restrictions for everyone?”

Cora nodded, smiling

“Oh yeah!”

Law bristled slightly – how come Marco was calling him _Rosinante_?!

Seconds later, Thatch came down the stairs, holding a serving tray with two plates, utensils and drinks. Law blinked, surprised at how well done the meals looked – then again, _Thatch was in charge of the cooking club_

“Mr.Cora told us about your gluten intolerance so don’t worry, you have none at all! I hope you like your meal though!” said Thatch, setting the plates down on the counter “Be sure to take breaks, Marco!”

_Mr.Cora?!_

Marco in return, growled and flipped off Thatch, making Law laugh

_Which caused Marco to yell at him for moving_

 

Soon enough, they were alone. Law continued to watch Marco work in silence with the soft music playing in the back

“So, what did you actually want to ask me?”

Law stiffened up, surprised as Marco laughed

“Oh c’mon, it was written all over your face”

Law coughed, clearly his throat

“YOI! Don’t cough when I’m tattooing! _Stop moving_!” chided Marco for probably the millionth time already

“Sorry, sorry. I was just, is there any way to avoid the mess that’s coming?”

Marco snorted as he kept looking at his work, carefully filling in every line

“No. A war is coming. We’ve known for a while that it was coming, but for us, it’s a calculated risk. But if you want out, you’ll need to leave the city”

Law frowned sharply – a calculated risk? _They knew this shit storm was coming_? Law has had a bad feeling for a while, but he didn’t realize a _war_ was coming!

“I can’t leave. You see, I’ve been trying to dig up info on something for a while now. But I keep getting dead-ends, but all the dead-ends lead to Goa” admitted Law

This is something he’s been trying to find info on every since the day he wound up waking up in the hospital

_But nobody ever had answers for him_

Just legends, tales, stories, but never proof!

“ _What do you know about the wonder drug Akumanomi_?”

Marco paused, lifting his machine off Law and turning it off, looking at the other, shocked

“How do you know about that?”

“ _It’s what cured me_. I know it is. There is no cure for the White Lead disease! _My father spent his whole life researching it and suddenly Cora found the one vial of a cure ever_? No. It had to have been an Akumanomi! Apparently they had been able to make one that was extremely potent at curing diseased or dying cells but it went missing. And suddenly I’m better?”

Law had been keeping his research a secret, _but he needed to know_!

It was impossible for any normal drug to have cured him so fast! _So well_! All the doctors were in awe of his recovery, unable to explain it

Marco snorted, restarting his tattooing

“You’re probably right. It does amazing things, doesn’t it?”

Law blinked, surprised at the tone

_Wait!_

“You too?”

Marco nodded

“Why do you think they call me ‘The Phoenix’? I was injected as a child, it made me hard to hurt, I don’t get sick or infections and I heal very quickly which of course, _terrified people_. You can imagine how that went down in a small village. Ace himself was somehow exposed to it, which is why he has an extremely high tolerance to heat. Those gloves of his? _Would roast anybody else’s hands_. But you are very smart to have asked me about them Law” admitted Marco

“The Whitebeards are trying to collect them, aren’t you? They keep disappearing where you guys appear” pointed out Law

“Yes, we’re looking for them. But our intention is merely to keep them out of government hands. See, the individual drugs can’t be reproduced. For some reason, the plant used to make the Akumanomi never grows the same way twice. And not only that, it never reacts the same way with the same person. Depending on your DNA, it’ll react differently. And the same plant is only able to make just enough of the drug for one person. Too little, it will have no effect. Too much, as in, if you take a second dose? It kills you. We don’t trust the government with it”

Law was trying to figure out how any of this made sense

He knew there was no limit to medical knowledge and there was no limit to what could be discovered or created. _But a drug that enhance physical and mental limitations would be incredible_ but it didn’t sound like they could test it. And no testing, means no FDA approval. So it would probably never be used for mass usage – _but rather individually!_

“You don’t think they’re going to try and weaponize it?”

“Considering the government killed Pop’s wife over a vial of it? Yeah, _we do_. Thankfully they weren’t able to get their hands on it. His son had unknowingly ingested it a few days prior”

Law was surprised to hear that – _they had killed someone over it_?!

“So, you guys have a stockpile of it or something?”

Marco shook his head slightly as he kept filling up Law’s tattoo

“Nope. Since they’re always secretly smuggled around, we don’t want to risk it. So if you find some, the rule is to quickly ingest it or administer it straight to your bloodstream via injection and hope for the best”

Law paused for a moment

“That means that an incredible amount of people in this city have ingested this drug!”

“You got it. Welcome to the city of freaks, Law. _One of us, one of us_ ~”

“Is there many left?” asked Law

“The government keeps trying to make them. And we keep stealing them. Better to do so than let shit like kids accidentally get their hands on it. _Which had already happened a few times in this town, by the way._ Not all gangs are as careful as we learned to be”

“This was a group effort?” asked Law, surprised to hear that

“Yep. All started with Roger. That’s why the government hated him so much – _he was pulling the rug from under them_ ” explained Marco, smiling to himself

_Wait what?!_

_Why were they working together?!_

“ _I thought Whitebeard and Roger hated each other_?!”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Law. Might get you in trouble one day. Also _stop fucking moving! I’m trying to finish up here!_ ”

“Sorry!” said Law, trying his hardest not to move

Law frowned deeply

_This went far deeper than he ever thought it would_

_Fuck_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND VOILA! The Devil Fruits have formally been introduced into this AU! They won't play a maaaajjooor part, but they're still rather important. But you'll all see! Also! For those scratching your heads, I just smashed up the Japanese name of the Devil Fruits (Akuma no Mi) together to make the name!


	62. -CORAZON- Fatherly Bonding in the Best Way (Please Don't Let Him Kill Me!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very glad that you all seem to like my idea for the devil fruits! But today we're going to see Cora's side of the story!

 

 

 

_Wine in the morning was an awful idea_

_Wine in the morning was an awful idea_

_Wine in the morning was an awful idea_

 

 Cora groaned, having to remind himself for the hundredth time that morning that he is _going to be driving so he can’t drink_

He usually wasn’t much of a day drinker _at all,_ but he was so nervous about meeting Whitebeard _that it was making him a total mess!_

Cora had barely slept all night since he asked Marco to set it up, organizing all the folders of data that he’s collected over the last few months since he’s really thrown himself into this investigation and he also needed to know exactly what Whitebeard planned on doing if ever Doflamingo _did_ actually show up

And he really needed to know so many things about Ace, he needed to figure out what the Whitebeards will do to keep him safe

Frankly though, he had such mix feelings about the whole thing, _he was a cop_! He shouldn’t be meeting a gang boss at all for information exchange!!

But, he knew that Whitebeard probably had information that there was no way in hell the cops could ever get their hands on – and right now, there was too much on the line for him to play the ethics card

This was beyond ethics! Lives were on the line and he’d be damned if innocent people die because _some moral high road bullshit_!

So he had sucked it up! Last night he went to go to Eleanor’s bar, got the name of her father’s favourite booze, went to go get it a fine distillery to get it, got an extra present and prepared files to show to Whitebeard

He could do this! He even wore a suit! _How could he be nervous when he’s in power clothes_?

“Are you guys ready to go?”

It was time!

 

Bepo and Law had taken the news that he was meeting Whitebeard rather well?

Well, as well-ish as possible, honestly

Cora was rather surprised at how nice Marco’s tattoo studio looked. He was honestly expecting something looking uh…. _questionable_. But this looked like a highly respectable shop! Cora had no intention of getting a tattoo, but he couldn’t help but grab the albums and flip through them, looking at all of Marco’s works

He couldn’t help but note that the gang tattoos weren’t present in the binder

But he did do some really gorgeous works! _Wait, wasn’t that Nojiko_? Cora had to chuckle softly, that meant that Bellemere had been here too. But then again, she was good friends with Whitebeard’s daughter, so it’s not like Bellemere would have that many issues coming here

It doesn’t mean that she had met Whitebeard though

Cora huffed, puffing his cheeks. It wasn’t fair that Bepo got to see the tattoo being done and he only got to sign off on it! It was bullshit! Bullshit! _He wanted to see it too!_

He did feel relieved when Law gave him the signal that he was fine, but he still couldn’t help but pout, feeling excluded

 

Cora didn’t have time to really pout for long before Ace burst into the studio

At this point, Cora should be used to Ace’s ugly clothes considering how often he sees him at the police station, _but honestly, Law had no business telling him that his clothing was ugly when Ace dressed like this_!

But what really shocked him – _was that Ace was the escort!_

“ _Ace?!_ Ace is the escort?”

“Is he a bad choice?” Cora snorted, with Marco’s tone, it was definitely on purpose, he didn’t think that Marco would let him disclose in front of Ace!

Cora smiled brightly, still surprised

“No! He’s excellent! I just didn’t think that you would-“

 “Get going, Pops doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Ace, mind turning on the music?”

Ace quickly went to do as he was asked and then came back, grinning brightly at Cora

“Follow me?”

Ace then stuck out his arm, offering it to Cora, grinning still

Cora laughed, taking and arm and walking out of the studio with Ace, taking the same door that Ace had come from

They quickly emerged into a large room after following Ace through a series of corridors. Ace led him through the room as Cora looked around, trying to collect as much data as possible.  Clearly the home was well lived in. No matter where they went, they crossed path with people. The house was clearly filled with people and they all greeted Ace happily or teased him for having a ‘date’. Overall, everyone seemed really comfortable with Ace and seemed to care for him

It was reassuring Cora

Soon enough, he went up the stairs and was led down another long series of corridors

“Do you have a room here?”

Ace blinked, looking at Cora surprised, but then shook his head, sighing

“No, well, sorta. Basically there’s a room that’s going to be mine, but I’m not allowed to move-in until I turn 18, so soon!”

Cora frowned slightly

“You’re going to be moving in, in January? That’s a weird time of the year to move”

“Yeah, I know. But you know Gramps! He’s such an ass about this! He won’t let me move in while I’m still his charge! Which is so dumb! He’s never around to take care of me, Pops takes care of me! I can’t wait until he adopts me in January”

Cora smiled sadly at Ace, not sure what to say

He loved Sengoku will all of his heart, but he knew what it was like to have an absent guardian. But Cora also had the luxury to be orphaned by circumstances. He had known his parents; he had a chance to know how much his parents loved him. Ace never had that. His father dead before he was born, his mother dying in childbirth. Dadan clearly cared for the boy; but seemed to have an odd way to show it to her wards. Cora wish he knew more details about that but it’s clear why Ace would be attracted to a household where people all seemed to care about him

_Cora’s heart was breaking_

Soon enough, they were in front of giant doors and Ace happily opened, smiling brightly

“Pops! I got ‘em!”

 _Here we go_!

 

Cora quietly followed Ace inside the giant office. The first thing he noticed was the massive desk and Cora swallowed hard – that’s right, Whitebeard was known to be a massive man. Now Cora was tall, and so was Doflamingo, but _Whitebeard was known to be massive all around_

Actually now Cora felt like a total dunce not making the connection between him and the Captain

But in back of the office there was a series of couches in the back set up around a large coffee table but in front of the table – there was a hug armchair. On the chair was seated one Newgate Edward

“Ace, boy, take a seat! _Rosinante Donquixote_. I have to say, I was surprised to hear that you wanted to have a meeting with me”

Cora felt a chill go up his spine as he laughed nervously at the name. Ace quickly plopped down on the couch closest to Whitebeard, smiling, proud of his place

It was hard to miss the affection Ace had for Whitebeard with him all smiling at the other man

“He goes by Rosinante Trafalgar now, Pops!” corrected Ace “Wants nothing to do with Doflamingo”

Cora stared at Ace, shocked, for openly correcting Whitebeard as he went to the couch across from the chair. He quickly put the bottle and the present bag on the table

“A-Ah I brought you this! I spoke with Eleanor and she said it was your favourite! And I brought small cakes as well!”

Whitebeard looked at the gifts and burst out laughing, smiling big and wide

“GURARARARARARA! You’re a smart man! Not many people would have the galls to go ask my daughter! Ace! Go get us some glasses from the cabinet! And let’s open it up!”

“A-Ah! I’d rather not since I have to drive my kids back” said Cora nervously, not wanting to turn down the offer, but he wanted to be polite

Whitebeard nodded, turning towards Ace who was at the cabinet with the bottle?!

Cora blinked – when did Ace steal it?!

“Sparkling water fine?”

“U-Uh yeah?”

Ace nodded, coming back with three glasses, apparently having brought one for himself

Cora graciously took one of the glass of water and Ace sat back down

“So you wanted to discuss something with me?”

Cora blinked, hadn’t Marco told him? Or was Whitebeard messing with him?

“Ah yes, see, well-“ Cora groaned, no more playing, it wasn’t working “I need information and I figured that if I showed you my cards, you might be more willing to divulge”

Whitebeard paused, and then laughed again

“Smart man. If you had tried to lie to me, your ass would be out that door so fast your head would spin for days. So what do you have?”

“I know Ace is Roger’s son. So I know that the World Government is also trying to find out if he’s Roger’s son”

Ace dropped his glass, looking at Cora horrified as the glass loudly crashed against the floor but before Ace could say anything, Whitebeard grunted

“Boy.”

“Yes Pops” was Ace’s immediate reply, staying quiet as he leaned over and picked up the pieces

“Don’t worry though. I figured it myself, but that was because I was privy to a considerable amount of information when I was an agent of the World Government. I became a little obsessed with the subject because the idea of being vilified because of who your parents are…kinda really hit me close to home. So I read up all I could on the topic and well, pieces were put together quickly once I started working on the force. I’m the one who told the Captain. But I swear – I only told him!”

Ace listened quietly, clearly not sure what to say as he put the broken pieces of glass on the table. Whitebeard nodded, a stern look on his face

“So why did you feel the need to divulge this to me?”

Cora swallowed hard – _this was it_

“Did you know when you went after Ace to recruit him? Did you know he was Roger’s son?”

The colour completely drained from Ace’s face as he turned to look at Whitebeard, waiting for the answer

Cora couldn’t tell if he was horrified or scared at the answer

“The last conversation I had with Roger, he told me that he was going to be a father. Honestly I was shocked at the news considering the man’s age, but I’ve seen stranger things happen. I also knew how crazy he was about Rouge. The two hadn’t been together for long, having only met through another member of his gang. But the two really did love each other a lot. But Roger died, and I didn’t even think about the child”

Whitebeard then paused, smiling fondly at Ace

“About fifteen years later, this wild kid shows up on the scene, being offered Warlord, while leading his own gang when he’s the younger member by a long shot. And when I see a picture of him – he’s the splitting image of Rouge and Roger, but I had no way of knowing. But I’m also not enough of a fool to pass up the chance to grab this kid either. I was legitimately impressed with Ace’s capacities and I wanted him in my gang regardless. I recruited him for his strength and abilities, not his heritage”

“Wait…you suspected I was Roger’s son from the beginning and you still took me in?”

Cora’s heart broke at how small and vulnerable Ace’s voice sounded at the question

Whitebeard smiled fondly at Ace

“ _The sins of the father are not the sins of the child._ I told you this when you disclosed to me, and I still stand by it. You’re my son, I don’t care who sired you. And besides, as I’ve also told you before, you’re nothing like that old fool”

Whitebeard put his hand on Ace’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, smiling fondly. Ace was radiating as he smiled back, nodding

“So, it goes without saying that you know that Ace is in danger? I’m not sure the government suspects it’s Ace, or they think it’s just one of the kids in town. But I do have a theory that they offered him Warlord because they suspected him of being Roger’s son. If he was under the government’s possession, they could arrest and persecute him quietly. But when he turned it down and joined your gang, he was instantly protected. At first I thought that there was World Government agents all over town because they’re looking for the kid – but now I think because they’re looking for an opening to get Ace”

Ace looked at Cora with a mix of anger and horror

“Wait…the reason you offered me a ride the other night-“

“Don’t misunderstand me! I was offering you a ride because you’re someone I know and it was night-time! I was being polite! But also, yeah, I don’t want you alone because I’m afraid they know it’s you. If I connected the dots, others might have too”

_Like Sengoku_

“A war is brewing, there’s no avoiding it” said Whitebeard “But I will keep my sons safe and I’m going to try to handle this as quietly as possible. I do expect you to keep the information I just told you quiet”

Cora knew that this wasn’t a suggestion

“I’m going to disclose this information to my sons only. I trust them and I swore to not keep anything from them” admitted Cora

“I’ll accept that. I really need this information, for Ace’s sake as well, to be kept quiet from anyone else. I haven’t even told my own sons about this minus Marco. A few of them have very foul grudges against Roger and I don’t want Ace to feel the consequence of that. But that runt of yours better keep it from the rest of his gang”

“Speaking of” started Cora, taking a deep breath “I want to formally request that you keep the Heart gang out of this. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Law or Bepo or their friends”

Whitebeard nodded, smiling

“I’ll honor that request – from one father to another. I understand the desire to keep your children safe. But know this – if they chose to involve themselves _, it’s not my duty to get them to leave_ ”

Cora nodded, that was fair, and stuck out his hand which was graciously accepted by Whitebeard who shook his hand back

“Also, do not divulge this with your cohorts at the police station”

“But-“

“I’m assuming that you don’t want to tell them how you spent the afternoon with a major gang leader”

“Ahh…good point”

Cora frowned; _keeping this from the Captain was going to be hard_

“If you’re concerned about that son of mine, don’t be. If he wants to know anything, _he can just ask me himself”_ said Whitebeard, smirking smugly, knowing the possibility was low as hell

Ace groaned softly, looking discouraged as his shoulders sagged

“ _Pops…”_

Cora couldn’t stop help himself from laughing with Whitebeard at Ace’s open discouragement

“Pops! Sorry to bother your meeting, but dinner is almost ready!”

Cora blinked, surprised to see the kid with the pompadour come in

Whitebeard looked up and nodded

“Thank you,Thatch!” and then Whitebeard  turned to Cora “Rosinante! Will you be joining us for dinner? Your sons as well? I’m aware that the runt is getting tattooed by Marco, so we’ll bring their meals down”

“Oh…okay!” Cora wasn’t dumb enough to refuse a meal at this point

“Is there any dietary restrictions?” asked Thatch, grinning brightly

“A-Ah…Law, Law can’t handle gluten” said Cora, it was more complicated than that – especially considering the real wreck his disease had done to his system, but it was the easiest way to explain it

“Perfect! Should be done in about 10 minutes! Feel free to start making your way!”

 

Cora climbed up the stairs with Bepo in tow and made their way to the dining room. It wasn’t hard to find it considering the hoard of people heading in that direction

Cora and Bepo were completely stunned when they walked in

It looked like a mess hall – long tables set up in rows with a master table at the end of the room. There was tables set up against the walls on either side of the main tables with the food and by the looks of it, it worked very much like a buffet – you grabbed what you wanted and sat down to eat

Whitebeard was already seated at the master table with Eleanor, who apparently was visiting and there was two empty seats besides them – which Cora was assuming was for them

“Hello Cora-san! I see you’re joining us for dinner”

Cora blinked, surprised to see Izo there, plate in hand – it was very different to see him with his hair loosely tied and wearing no makeup

“Ah! Hello Izo!” replied Cora

Then Thatch popped up behind Izo, grinning brightly, holding two well stocked plates, he lifted one plate for it to be clearly in Cora’s view

“Hello mister Cora! I hope you’ll find something you’ll like in tonight’s selection! Will this be good for Law?”

Cora nodded, smiling

“It’s perfect. He’ll eat all of that”

“Excellent! Save me a seat, Izo?” asked Thatch, almost hopefully, Izo in returned comically rolled his eyes

“ _I always save you a seat_ , don’t be dumb”

Thatch merely grinned in response, chuckling softly as he left to deliver the meals

“You two shall be sitting at the head table with Pops” instructed Izo, with a smile

“Is there always this many people?” asked Cora, surprised at how quickly the room was filling up

“ _This isn’t even everybody_. Each division has at least 100 men, which brings the total to 1617 men total for the whole gang. But Pops only has us all together when it’s very important, otherwise it would be a foolish thing to do, don’t you think?” explained Izo

Cora nodded, completely agreeing with Izo – they would be sitting ducks if they were all here at once! But Cora frowned as he saw these young ladies sit down at the main table, besides Whitebeard

“Who are they?! I thought there was no female members?!”

Izo shook his head

“They’re in charge our medics. The medical team is made of only women, aside from the few who are trained field surgeons that each division has at least one. They have their own housing in the back but they take shifts staying by Pop’s side. He is an old man”

Cora was stumped by the information – he had no idea that there were women in the gang! These women were able to never be suspected of being Whitebeards since nobody knew about them!

“I feel like everything I’ve known is wrong”

Izo snorted at Cora’s comment

“Oh Cora-san, _you have no idea_ ”

 

Cora went to his seat with a nervous Bepo, their plates full

“Ah! Whitebeard, this one of my sons, Bepo”

“You can call me Newgate now, relax. It’s a pleasure to meet you, boy” said Whitebeard as he shook Bepo’s hand, the other in awe

“N-Nice to meet you, sir!”

The two of them sat down, Cora besides Eleanor and Bepo besides him

“We also need to discuss a change of name, Rosinante” said Whitebeard, surprising Cora

“Huh?”

“If I need to discuss something with you, it needs to be subtle. I’m thinking it would be simple if they just called you Corazon. Anyone who knows what it means will think they’re merely mocking you, while you’ll know better”

“Oh! That would work! Great idea!”

“Also, if that brother of yours decides to come anywhere near my sons _– I will squash his head like a grape personally._ I will personally kill anyone who hurts my sons”

Cora grimaced at the mental picture and took his glass, lifting it up

“I’ll toast to that”

“Speaking of toasts” said Eleanor, standing up with her glass in hand, holding it up – the whole room growing quiet

“Speeaaach!” screamed one member of the Whitebeards, making everyone laugh, but Eleanor gestured to them to quiet down

“I would like to toast my stubborn as a bull brother! Heard he’s been making you walk funny repeatedly since Halloween, Ace!”

Everyone burst into a loud, roaring laughter as Ace clearly turned bright red and tried to hide his face with one hand, his other hand clearly in the air, flipping off Eleanor

“Aww! Be nice Ace! We’re happy for you!”

Even though Cora first choked on his drink, he couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else

 

Cora was laughing as he went down the stairs with Bepo, back to the tattoo studio

Now they were on more relaxed grounds with Whitebeard, it wound up being a rather pleasant meal. Whitebeard and Cora wound up boasting and bragging about their son’s accomplishments all throughout the dinner, making Eleanor gag at both of them. It wasn’t often that Cora could talk from one father to another so openly considering the circumstances that both Bepo and Law lived through, so it was nice!

“Law! Hey, are you almost done?” asked Bepo, jogging up to Law who was finishing up his meal with one hand while Marco was wiping down the tattoo’s excess ink

“He’s done” said Marco, pulling back, letting Bepo see the whole thing

“It looks amazing!” declared Bepo, making Cora huff his cheeks out again, angry that he couldn’t see

“Oh stop pouting Cora” said Law, standing up and walking up to Cora

Law clearly looked embarrassed, looking to the side, not wanting eye-contact with Cora

The skin looked red and angry, swollen and a little dirty from the ink residue

_But the design was beautiful_

“T-That’s…That’s not…it’s”

Cora was at a loss of words

“I…I modified it…to represent _you_ ”

Cora couldn’t even stop the tears that came to his eyes because _they came so fast_

He was quickly sobbing, overwhelmed with how touched he was, his body shacking

“L-Law, you…You didn’t, why did you-?”

“We wear Pop’s mark to show our love and loyalty to him. To show that he’s the most important person to us” said Marco quietly, making Cora cry harder

“I did it because I love you. I wanted to honor you and everything you’ve done for me. I’m only alive today because of you” admitted Law, but this time, even though he was still clearly embarrassed, he was looking at Cora right in the eyes

“I-I’m so touched, I-I can’t, I don’t know what to say” admitted Cora, his sight completely blurry due to the tears

“I told you he’d love it!” said Bepo, grinning

“I-I just want to hug you but I’d damage the tattoo”

“You hug him now, _I’ll cut you_!” threatened Marco, hissing

Cora couldn’t help but laugh at the threat

Instantly though, Cora knew in that very moment, that he too would kill anyone who touched his sons

_Guess he had more in common with Whitebeard that he thought_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd that's all she wrote! Next chapter we're going back to Ace and see how things are going for him! Heads up, might be a delay posting next week because I won't be at home so I can't guarantee anything but I'll try my very best to update on time if not early!


	63. -ACE- Can I Reset to the Last Save Point? I Want to Redo! (I Should Have Said No To This)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember! If you're uncomfortable with sex scenes, I put an * at the beginning and an * at the end of the scene! Fair warning though, it is rather short and there is some plot-ish points so if you can, please power through it! But I understand otherwise!
> 
> Hold on to your horses, kids, we're going for a ride!

 

 

 

Ace threw his head back against the door, moaning loudly as another jolt of pleasure wracked through his body

*

He was gripping the back of Smoker’s shirt with one hand, the other tightly in the other’s hair as Ace’s legs were wrapped around Smoker’s waist. It took every bit of what was left of Ace’s mental concentration to keep his hips moving, meeting every one of Smoker’s thrust upward

Last night, Ace had stopped by Smoker’s house and wound up staying over. But while they were curled up in bed, the nights getting cooler and Smoker taking advantage of his heater of a boyfriend, the two wound up being curled up tightly with Justice on top of the blankets. Ace had decided to ask the other if there was anything he had ever wanted to do with a partner and haven’t had the chance to try. Smoker had scoffed, saying that it was Ace who should be forthcoming with that information considering he was the one with no real experience

So Ace had mentioned many things, but especially that he wanted to be fucked against a wall – and in the morning, his boyfriend delivered!

Over the last week and so since they had sex for the first time, Ace was quickly learning things. Smoker refused to sleep on dirty sheets if he didn’t have to, that giving head was hell on the jaw but it was something he really enjoyed giving, that Ace enjoyed getting his hair pulled more than he thought he would but mostly that Smoker was more willing and eager to have sex in the morning

Thankfully, Ace was willing and eager regularly now

Ace wasn’t sure what switch was flipped that night, but he adored having sex with Smoker and wouldn’t pass up a chance to

So there he was, being fucked against a wall, well, _the door to be exact_ , just as he had fantasized so so many times

God he was lucky

Ace could feel Smoker kissing and sucking on Ace’s neck – another thing he learned was that Smoker liked leaving marks

Ace was merely trying to keep afloat, his mind swimming; his dick was hard against Smoker’s abs, getting stimulated every time Smoker thrust into Ace, driving Ace mad

Smoker’s hands were gripping Ace’s hips tight, his movements getting more and more erratic, signaling to Ace that he was close – _just a little more_

Ace’s orgasm surprised him, too distracted with everything going on and he squeezed tightly on Smoker’s cock as he rode the wave of pleasure going through his body

Smoker grunted loudly, pounding into Ace a few more times until Ace moaned, biting his lip as he felt Smoker come

*

Mentally though, he sighed, wishing again that the other didn’t insist on wearing condoms every time they made lov- _had sex._ Maybe it was due to all the porn he watched, read and such – but he really wanted to feel Smoker come in him – Ace wanted to know what that was like

Smoker held Ace up as he pulled himself out of the other, groaning softly against Ace’s neck – Ace was pretty sure that Smoker bit down when he came – another habit the other seemed to have

Ace was carefully set down, feet on the ground, but Smoker still held on to him in case his legs we wobbly. Ace purred softly, wrapping his arms around Smoker’s neck, leaning up to pepper Smoker’s face with kisses as Smoker attempted to remove the condom with one hand with Ace being an octopus on him

“Oye, brat, I’m trying to do something here” grunted Smoker, huffing, looking annoyed – but Ace knew that he wasn’t _really_

“You know…you wouldn’t have this problem if you didn’t use one…I wouldn’t mind~” Ace smirked, nibbling on Smoker’s ear

“ _Ask me again in six months_ ” replied Smoker as he removed the offending object, tied it up and threw it in the nearest trashcan

Ace shivered slightly and couldn’t help but grin at the idea that Smoker thought of them together six months from now – it made him so… _happy_

“Okay” replied Ace, biting his lip as his cheeks flushed, unable to stop himself from reacting to the idea of being in a long committed relationship

_Man he felt like an idiot_

Ace lost in his thoughts didn’t notice that Smoker had tipped his face upward, making Ace look at Smoker, who leaned in and gave Ace a soft kiss on the brow

“C’mon, let’s clean up. I need to get to work and you to school”

Ace purred softly, smiling warmly at Smoker – he never wanted moments like this to end

 

“Oye! Ace! Wake up!”

Ace’s head snapped up, startle awake, drool coming down from the side of his mouth. He blinked, looking around, he was clearly at school. Marco was crouched down in front of him, not looking too impressed

“You fell asleep against your looker. But you’re blocking Coby’s, and the poor kid is too scared to wake you up”

Ace blinked, looking past Marco at a super nervous Coby, holding his books. He liked Coby, good kid, apparently he wanted to be a cop or something. Maybe he should introduce the Captain to him?

“Ooh! Sorry Coby!” said Ace, quickly standing up but then he yowled as a sharp jolt of pain wracked his body – he had forgotten for a moment what he did this morning

Marco lifted a brow at the reaction and looked down to see the pillow that Ace had been sitting on and rolled his eyes, not looking amused

“I see you and the Captain were busy last night. I assume he gave you a ride?”

Ace nodded, leaning down slowly to pick up his bag and grabbed the pillow, walking away with Marco as they made their way towards their class

“This morning actually! But his shift started at six am, so he dropped me off before work”

Marco snorted

“Nice to know about the Captain’s morning wood. No wonder you’re like this”

“Do you know the expression ‘fucked stupid’?” teased Ace, grinning

“That’s your usual state, so how can we tell it’s not just your regular stupid?” replied Marco, grinning as well’

Ace laughed but then his laughter soon died down when he realized that Marco wasn’t leading him towards their homeroom, but rather to the parking lot

“A job?” asked Ace, raising a brow

Marco smirked, gesturing towards his car

“Please go make yourself comfortable”

 

“I got some disturbing intel early this morning”

Ace frowned sharply, trying to get comfortable in the car

“Like what?”

“The yaminomi has apparently re-emerged”

Ace blinked, trying to scramble his brain, to remember exactly what that was

“Uh…remind me what that is? I know it’s an akumanomi”

Marco sighed loudly – Ace hated when he did that, made him feel like a total idiot

“It’s the drug that basically turns you into patient 0. You’re more or less a healthy carrier of conditions and syndromes but you can transmit it to anyone and everyone you encounter” explained Marco, looking really worried

“You mean like Typhoid Mary?” asked Ace, hoping he was wrong – but Marco nodded

“You’re basically the ultimate biological weapon. They themselves won’t succumb to the diseases it’s exposed to – but it will weaken them. But if they get their hands on a fast-acting ailment, it could easily spell disaster for anyone and everyone exposed”

Ace paused for a moment, but then his eyes widen

“Wait, that big shipment coming in from the government, you don’t think-?”

Ace had been informed that a delivery was being made to the World Government was crossing through Goa soon – Marco had made stealing the items priority but hadn’t explained why

“It’s probable; it’s why I’m not taking any chances. But we’re not the only ones after this shipment. If it is what I think it is – and with the amount of security, I wouldn’t be surprised, it’s going to sell for a pretty penny. So others will want it too” explained Marco, pulling out his ipad and opening it up

“It’s coming in at the end of the month, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, late November or early December, we’ll know more when the transport actually starts”

“So, why you need me for this?” Ace frowned, wondering what Marco had up his sleeve

Marco opened up a file and showed it to Ace

“The Buggy Gang is having a party tonight. I need you to infiltrate it and find out if they’re after it or not. Also, I suspect that Buggy himself has ingested an akumanomi, find out what it is” ordered Marco

“Huh? I thought Izo’s division was infiltration? Since when are you sending me out to do that?” Ace was literally confused –he’s usually the fight this and punch them person

Marco smirked

“Because we need your level of charm for this, you have this certain _je-ne-sais-quoi_ that will allow you to infiltrate this shindig”

Ace snorted, rolling his eyes; at least he’ll get to eat

 

Ace frowned, looking at all the clothes he laid out on his bed

He needed to figure out what to wear but he uh…apparently wasn’t good at this at all

He needed something that would look good but not be very noticeable, _he was infiltrating after all_

But most of what he had was uh…rather brightly coloured

_Urghh, this was Izo’s job!_

Izo and his division were the ones good at this kind of stuff!

“Ace! You’re home!”

Ace blinked, turning around to look at Luffy coming into the room, surprised he hadn’t heard the other coming up

“Uh yeah, not for long though, just getting changed and I have to go”

“You’re not coming home again?” asked Luffy, looking a little disappointed

Ace chuckled, walking up to Luffy, ruffling his hair

“Hey, I thought you’d enjoy having the room all to yourself!”

“Naw, I like it when you’re here!” admitted Luffy and it broke Ace’s heart – he kept forgetting how bad his little brother was with being alone

“You have a boyfriend now! Why don’t you invite him over more often?”

Luffy looked at Ace confused

“Why?”

“Uh, to do stuff? Where do you think I was?”

“You were with Smokey?” asked Luffy, genuinely surprised

“Yeah man, I’ve been sleeping over” admitted Ace, baffled that Luffy had no idea

“Ahh, that sounds fun! I want another sleep over with Toroa! But after I’m done with stuff”

Ace huffed, putting his hands on his hips

“What have you been up to, Luffy?”

He’s been suspecting for a while that his brother had been up to things he shouldn’t be up to – the little turd better not lie to him!

“I’m just helping people!” admitted Luffy, but he looked to the side, trying to whistle innocently

_The little turd was lying to him!_

 “When I have more time, me and Sabo are going to have a little talk with you, Luffy! And you better get your goddamn story straight because if I find out that you’ve been _lying_ to me, _you’re gonna wish I had left you tied to the tree when we were kids_!”

Luffy smiled weakly, nodding his head, knowing very well he was busted

Ace growled, but then he noticed the time

_Shit!!_

He quickly grabbing a pair of fitted black jeans, a white tank top and a black leather vest and threw it on with a bunch of other things on the bed, he didn’t have time anymore!!

“I mean it, Luffy!!” yelled Ace as he ran out of the room

He wasn’t done with this!!

 

Ace took a deep breath, looking himself over in the mirror in the corner store bathroom – he had to admit, he looked pretty good! He had a heavy silver belt with a giant buckle of a ram around his waist, accentuated by the tank top that was slightly tucked in behind the buckle and his usual black boots over the jeans. His wrists had his usual bracelets and a few silver bangles and around his neck he had his usual red bedded necklace and his trusty hat on his hat, he had grabbed the black one though – wanting it to stand out a little less

Guess he was as ready as he could ever be

He quickly bought a Rockstar at the corner store, wanting a little bit more prep and quickly downed it as he made his way towards the party location

It was literally in the temporary base of Buggy’s gang and a gang member walking into another gang’s base was nothing short of a declaration of war – which Marco told him not to do. He was there to make friends, make fun, get info and get out

When Ace approached the base, which was an old abandoned circus themed club, he could see a few of members of the gang, hanging out in front of the club, drinking from red cups. Ace couldn’t help but laugh a little – _so much for him not wanting to stand out_

Ace of course I had forgotten a crucial piece of info about the Buggy Gang, _they all dressed like circus folks_

Ace knew that if he tried the front door, he’d be turned away at the door. He quickly made a wide circle around the area and climbed up a nearby building and scouted the area

As he suspected, there was people placed all around the building – except on the left side. Ace frowned sharply and loading up the layout of the club on his phone _– wow, they were dumb_! The left side of the building was the fucking bathrooms! Which was a perfect way to get in!

Ace leaped to the other building’s roof as quietly as possible and made his way across the building, quietly scaling down the left side of the building. He got to the window and pushed it open, shocked that it was unlocked. Ace climbed into the bathroom and also found it completely isolated – this had to be a trick?

Ace opened the bathroom door and walked into a party already in full swing – _nope, they were just really that dumb_

He quickly bee lined to the nearest food table, hearing his stomach rumble and started piling food on a plate and took a seat at a table near the VIP area, listening to the conversation around him – but one voice stood out from the rest

“YAHAHAHAHA!! See!”

“Guys, this is no time to horse around” said a woman, lying on a couch in the back of the VIP area “If you can’t find out where Luffy is, how exactly are you planning on beating him?”

_Luffy?!_

“Don’t be so uptight, Alvida! Nothing’s wrong with having fun for now, right?” replied the clown looking guy – must be Buggy?

“Luffy you say? If you wanna know see Luffy, I’ll tell you where he is”

Ace wasn’t sure why these people wanted Luffy – but now he was basically sure that he was going to kill his little brother

“See? He’ll tell us Luffy’s whereabouts” said Buggy (?) pointing towards Ace

But then his expression dropped as he looked at Ace, appalled

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Oh, sorry for interrupting your party” said Ace, turning to face Buggy “I was brought forth by the smell of your delicious food. My name is Ace, nice to meet you”

“Oh no, no need to be so formal! Nice to meet you too” answered Buggy, smiling

Ace nodded, grabbing another pig in a blanket from his plate and threw it in his mouth

Suddenly Buggy’s expression turned back to one of anger

“I’m asking you what you’re doing here!! I don’t care about your name! What a flashy insolent attitude!”

_Welp, Marco picked the wrong guy –_ but Ace was pretty sure he could take all of these guys

“B-Boss! This guys is Fire Fist!!” said another guy with really long bangs that covered one of his eyes “Fire Fist Ace! Commander of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeards!”

Everyone in the room yelled ‘Whitebeard’ shocked

Ace grinned

“Oh! You guys heard of the old man? That’s so coo-“

And then the world went black

 

“Oh! You guys know about Pops?”

“HE’S AWAKE!” yelled everyone in shock as Ace kept eating the food in front of him

Ace stood up, grinning

“Hey, you guys! Don’t be shy! It’s a party! Let’s have some fun!”

“Y-YEAH!” yelled everyone, now somehow more afraid of him – oh well

He made his way to Buggy’s table in the VIP section, grinning

“Sorry for disrupting the festivities! I was in the area and this looked like fun!” lied Ace but was relieved when he saw Buggy visibly relax, Alvida on the other hand, still looked at him suspiciously

“No problem!!” said Buggy, his voice straining slightly “My party is your party!”

“Haha, awesome!” said Ace, taking the bottle of vodka on the table and pouring himself a drink in one of the unused glasses on the table

“So, what brings you in the area Fire Fist? This isn’t Whitebeard territory” said Alvida

“Just call me Ace! And I was just doing parkour around here and I smelled the food, that’s it!”

Alvida nodded, clearly not fully believing him, but didn’t have a reason to doubt him either

“H-How fun!” said Buggy as Ace took sip of his drink

“Relax relax! I’m just here to have fun! To new friends!” said Ace, grinning as he held up his glass, Buggy blinked, surprised but then laughed brightly as they toasted 

 

“ACE! ACE! Look at what I can do!” said Buggy, laughing brightly as he contorted himself into a giant knot

Ace clapped, laughing brightly as well, having had waaaay too many drinks at this point

“Ahhh!! That’s so cool! Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Nope! I had an akumanomi! I can dislocate all my joints and it doesn’t hurt!”

Ace filed that information away – from what he can understand, unless it’s straight up blunt trauma or explosive or anything else, it can’t hurt Buggy – that’s kinda neat, like half of his pain receptors didn’t work anymore

“I can do fire stuff!! Someone get me something to play with!” said Ace, grabbing a lit torch and swallowed it whole, making the whole room look at him in awe, but then he quickly breathed the fire out, lighting up the entire room and everyone erupted, clapping loudly

Ace was really drunk and he knew it – he was super thankful that it was Friday night because holy shit, he was going to be hung over as hell tomorrow

“So, whatchu guys doing here anyways? Don’t you guys travel around? Like a circus and stuff?” asked Ace, wobbling back to the leather benches in the VIP area, sitting down besides Buggy who was taking himself out of the knot

The two at this point had done shit ton of shots, sang and danced together – so they were officially bffs in Ace’s drink addled brain

“Heard of this sweet loot coming in! Gonna steal it!” admitted Buggy, making Alvira gasp loudly, horrified

“Don’t tell him that!”

“Shh, Ace is my friend, we’re friends now” said Buggy, holding onto Ace, Ace held back

“Yeah Alvira! We’re super friends!”

“ _Cosmic Friends!”_

“Oooh I like that!” Ace clapped his hands, laughing “What kind of loot? CANDY?”

Buggy laughed, shaking his head

“Naw naw, some real fancy and rare jewels going up for auction!”

“BUGGY!” yelled Alvira, clearly pissed off

“Shhh, the Whitebeards don’t care about stuff like that!” said Buggy, waving his hand to dismiss Alvira

“Damn right we don’t!” said Ace, grinning – sweet! They weren’t after the akumanomi!

“BUGGY! BUGGY! WE GOTTA GO!” yelled the guy Ace found out was called Mohji as he ran up to the VIP area

“Huh? Why? The party’s just starting!”

“Because! The Fuwas said they saw cops coming!”

“WHAT?!” screeched Buggy, Ace giggled

“Are they sexy cops? My Captain is so sexy” mumbled Ace, giggling

But then he paused

_Wait cops_?

“EVERYONE ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS UP! THIS IS A RAID!” yelled a rather familiar voice through a megaphone as multiple police officers barged in and Ace jumped out of his seat and took off down the stairs, towards the bathroom

_FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK_

Ace ran through the mob the best he could, trying to make himself discreet but a smoke bomb was thrown in the room since nobody surrendered as everyone tried to escape. When the smoke bomb activated, Ace quickly dropped to the ground and covered his mouth, trying to crawl towards the bathroom, coughing slightly as his eyes stung like hell

Fuck fuck fuck fuck

Finally he reached the bathroom door and threw it open and quickly rolled into the room, closing the door and locking it – trying to keep the smoke out. Ace quickly removed his vest and shirt to cover the gap between the floor and the door. He looked around and cursed himself; he somehow got disorientated and went into the women’s room! But the damn thing was on the right side of the building! Ace opened his layout again and scanned it – if he escaped through the window, there should be a narrow alleyway, which he could use to make his escape

Perfect!

Ace opened the window and quickly climbed out – it was a bit of a height up, but it was no problem for him! He jumped down, slightly messing up the landing because as he distinctively forgot – _he was drunk_!

Ace moaned loudly in pain, landing on his already very sore ass but then stood up and made a break for it down the alleyway

“STOP! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!”

Ace everybody froze for a second _– it was the Captain_!

He started running even faster down the alleyway, hearing the Captain picking up speed behind him, chasing him

A fence was up ahead, so Ace leaped, thankful that he wasn’t drunk enough to make the jump and made his way across the solid wooden fence. Ace then quickly scaled up the building on the other side of the fence and made it on the roof before Smoker made it across the fence

Ace watched quietly as Smoker looked around so any signs of him – clearly able to see Smoker’s frustration at having lost who he was chasing

Smoker’s radio came to life and Smoker quickly answered and put it back in his place and looked up

Ace and Smoker’s eyes met for a second before Ace scampered off, hoping it hadn’t been for long enough for Smoker to recognize him

But Ace didn’t miss the look of horror and disappointment in Smoker’s eyes

So he ran

 

Ace ran long and hard until he was at the gate of High Town. He was shaking, Ace swallowed down another sob, trying to convince himself to breathe as he fumbled, trying to take out his cellphone

He quick-dialed and held the phone to his ear, needing the person to answer

“Hello?”

“S-Sabo, I-I fucked up, I fucked up, I-I want, I can’t come, I can’t deal with cops again tonight and I can’t go home”

“Ace, listen to me. Where are you? I’ll come join you and we’ll go to the treehouse okay?”

Ace nodded, sniffling, he hadn’t realized that he had started to cry

“O-Okay, I’m outside the gate, but I’m not where guards are, I’m near-“ Ace paused, looking around, his sight was starting to spin a little “Bagel place?”

“Excellent! I know where that is! Stay put, Ace! I’m coming!” said Sabo “Stay on the line, Ace, okay? I’m getting dressed”

“Sabo I fucked up, I fucked up bad, he won’t love me anymore, I fucked up” babbled Ace, crumbling to the ground, crying harder

“No, no, don’t say that, we’ll talk about it, okay? I’m coming out the door now”

“I just wanna sleep and never wake up, I fucked it up, like I fuck everything up”

“Ace? What are you talking about? I’m almost there, okay? Don’t be so hard on yourself, we’ll find a solution”

“I should of never have been born, Sabo! I’m a mistake!”

“I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself, Ace. I love you and if you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here today”

Ace nodded, sniffling loudly as another sob left his throat

“I-I love you too, I missed you, Sabo”

A car pulled up to Ace and Sabo quickly got out of the car and threw himself on Ace, hugging him tightly

“I love you lots, don’t say things like that, you’re important to me”

Ace nodded as he allowed Sabo to help him up

“Let’s get you to the treehouse, okay? And you’ll tell me all about it?”

Ace nodded again, almost falling as Sabo let him go

Sabo paused

“Are you drunk?”

“I fuuuucked up” whined Ace

“Alright, let’s get you in the car”

 

Ace, once in the treehouse, calmed down considerably. He was still rather drunk, but after telling Sabo everything that happened as Sabo listened quickly, he was pretty tired

“Fuck…so you think he saw you?”

Ace nodded, sniffling, Sabo pushed some tissues towards him

“He’s gonna hate me now, Sabo! _He hates crime_!”

“Ace, he loves you. But you need to find out for sure if he saw you or not! There’s no point of you getting this upset if he didn’t realize it was you”

“But you didn’t see the look in his eyes! He looked so disappointed in me!”

“Maybe he was disappointed because he didn’t catch the person he was chasing! Maybe you’re looking way too much into this! You’re drunk!” pointed out Sabo

Ace blinked – _that made sense!_

“Oh…I didn’t think of that. He’s kinda hates losing”

“See? Everything’s gonna be fine. Just get some sleep, okay? We’ll go out for breakfast tomorrow at Makino’s and everything will be okay”

Ace nodded, laying down, pulling the old sleeping bag over him as he closed his eyes

“WHO’S UP THERE?”

Ace kept his eyes closed, frowning

“It’s just us, Dadan” yelled Sabo back as quietly as he could

There was a pause, but then he heard Dadan reply

“…Is everything okay?”

Ace heard Sabo turn his head to look at him for a moment, before he turned to reply to Dadan

“…I sure hope so” the sadness in Sabo’s tone was impossible to miss

Ace turned slightly, his back facing Sabo as fresh tears rolled down his face

_He had ruined everything_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnd there we go, conflict is beginning - AND BACK TO LAW NEXT WEEK!
> 
> Also fair warning! Work is getting super busy and my health is a mess lately so if ever the chapter doesn't go up on time, it will be the next day or so!! I'm very sorry! But I'll do my very best!


	64. -LAW- I Don't Want To Be In This Club! (Take the Leather Jacket Back!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Thank you for all the well-wishes and such last week! And sorry for breaking your hearts! Here's Law's chapter! Happier-ish note!

 

 

_He could do this_

He survived genocide

He hid under corpses to escape

He joined one of the most brutal gangs in the world

And he escaped them – _alive_

He also survived a terminal illness

_So why was this making him so nervous?!_

 

Law groaned, closing his eyes as he rubbed his brow – Bepo had made an interesting point a few weeks ago

He and Luffy didn’t spend that much time together – but they always seem to have different plans and honestly…Law didn’t really want to interfere with Luffy’s

Luffy seemed so happy with his group of friends that he felt that prying into that was kinda, well, _mean_

Law opened his eyes, trying to muster up the courage until Luffy came to join him at the quad – but then he spotted a familiar head of red hair and his jaw dropped

“KID?!”

 Kid smirked, turning around and made his way towards Law as he was coming out of the office

“Hey! I was hoping to surprise your ass, but guess not”

“The fuck are you doing here?” Law couldn’t think of any good reason for Kid to not only still be in town – but at his school?!

“Setting up a transfer” admitted Kid

“Why the fuck are you transferring here?!”

“Seems this town is more interesting than I thought – so I figured I might as well stay around”

Law rolled his eyes, not impressed

“Marco hates your ass and you’re transferring to his school? The fuck is wrong with you?”

Kid smirked at Law, tipping his head slightly

“Yeah, that fucker has a thing coming for what he did to me last time”

Law paused, frowning

“Are you out of your fucking mind?! Starting shit with the Whitebeards?”

“Fuck that noise, Law, _I’m no bitch_. I start shit with whoever decides to fuck with me – and that fucker sealed his fate at the Halloween party”

Law didn’t know what to say – he knew that Kid had issues, _but this was really dangerous talk_

“Anyways, I gotta bounce. I won’t be able to transfer here until like January due to some… _unfinished business”_ Law rolled his eyes again at the tone of Kid’s voice – he meant he still had people to fuck up “So, if you were smart in any way, _you’ll drop that dumb Strawhat kid you’ve been hanging out with in the meantime_ ”

“Fuck off, Kid” spat out Law, flipping off Kid, who merely laughed and walked out

Fucking great! Now he had to deal with Kid too!

 

“Torao!”

Law grunted as Luffy barreled into his back, holding him tightly around the waist. Law couldn’t help but smile softly, closing his eyes as he held on to Luffy’s hands

“Hey Luffy, thanks for coming”

Luffy grinned brightly, laughing against Law’s back

“Of course I came! I love hanging out with you! Where’s Bepo?”

Law closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he let go of Luffy’s hands and turned around

“Hey…I wanna ask you…do you have plans this weekend?” Law felt so dumb being this nervous

“Ahh, I don’t think so! If so, who cares! I want to hang out with you”

Law blushed furiously at Luffy’s enthusiasm, surprised by it

“A-Ah, well, I’m getting tattooed again this Saturday…and I know it’s not the most exciting thing in the world bu-“

“Can I come?” asked Luffy, cutting in

“Well, that’s what I wanted to invite you to” Law looked to the side, unable to look directly at Luffy right now, thankful that his hat hid a bit of his face

“That’s awesome! I totally want to go!”

Law was about to reply to Luffy but then spotted a bunch of familiar heads looking over at them from around the corner – _was that Luffy’s friends_?! And Miss Nico and Franky?!

Once they noticed they were caught, they all gave him a thumbs up, grinning

At least Luffy’s friends approved of him?

_Even if they were embarrassing!_

 

“Ah! Luffy! I’m so happy that you’re here to watch Law during his appointment!” Law groaned, hearing Cora gush at the front door from his room – _he was so embarrassing_

“Hi mister Rosisisi! You were really scary and badass on the night of the party! I can see why people were scared of you! It was so cool!”

Law could hear Cora’s heart shattering in a million pieces; it killed him when people were afraid of him

He made his way quickly down the stairs, wanting to stop this convo as fast as possible

“A-Ah, so uh…how’s Ace?”

Luffy blinked, surprised

“Dadan told me not to disturb him this morning – so I don’t know. Why?”

“Hey Luffy” said Law, trying to be nonchalant

“Torao! Can I see the first tattoo? You said you’d show me today!”

Law blinked, surprised, but thankful that he wore a black button-up shirt, so it was easy for him to undo the buttons and open his shirt – revealing the still red and horribly peeling tattoo. Law had hesitated since it looked pretty bad right now

“Whoah!! It’s so cool!! It’s mister Rosisisi – isn’t it?”

Law blinked, surprised at how quickly Luffy figured it out (ignoring Cora who squeaked, trying to hold-in his gushing)

“Is it supposed to look like that?” asked Cora, worryingly, once he calmed down

“Don’t worry, Marco makes me show it to him every day at school, it’s fine”

He also threatened to rip off Law’s nails if he _dared_ scratch at his tattoo – but Cora didn’t need to know that

“Where’s Bepo?” asked Luffy, looking around

“Bepo? He had Karate today” _Why did Luffy keep asking about Bepo_?!

“Alright Law, put your shirt back together, we gotta get going~” said Cora, sing-song-ly, grinning ear-to-ear

Law frowned – _what was he hiding now_?

 

They got to the mansion easily enough – it was weird that he was getting so comfortable going to the Whitebeard mansion

It was ever weirder that for some reason, Cora now had the code to the gate?!

_How chummy did they get last time_?!

They quickly made their way inside the studio, Marco already inside setting up the station; he looked up at Law, raising a brow

“You sure you want to do both forearms in one shot?”

“Yep” said Law without hesitating

“I’m going to remind you again that it’s a shitty place that hurts” stated Marco

“I got it” Law was getting annoyed at the conversation honestly, Marco responded by rolling his eyes

“Alright tough guy, get in the chair while Rosinante signs you over to me”

“But I want to keep him!” whined Cora playfully, chuckling as he took the clipboard from Marco, signing another waiver

Luffy plopped himself in the chair in back of the studio, grinning as he looked around

“ _Don’t touch anything, you little monkey_ ” warned Marco, making Luffy chuckle

“That’s what Ace said!”

 

Law watched quietly as Marco placed the stencils on both of his forearms, since the design was going to be the same on both arm

Soon enough, Marco started tattooing and Law grunted, biting his lip – Marco wasn’t kidding, it wasn’t a fun location _at all_

“So, little monkey, do you have anything to do with our Mayor disappearing in the middle of the night?”

Law froze, looking at Luffy surprised

The Mayor disappeared last night?!

Luffy was spinning slightly on the stool but his expression soon grew serious

“Nobody gets away with hurting people like that”

Marco groaned, rolling his eyes

“Well, he would have lost his post anyways since the cops got a full dirt report on him and a police officer under cover was almost killed too”

Law discreetly looked towards Cora, noticing that he was discreetly listening in – _Cora did get home extremely late last night_

“You Worst Generation! I fucking swear! You know the fucking mess that the city is going to be without a fucking mayor?! You could have waited until he got arrested!”

“He was trying to leave that night anyways! I just made sure he got a real good trashing before!” defended Luffy, huffing

“Okay, who exactly are the Worst Generation? You guys keep dropping that term as if I’m supposed to know what it is” said Law, looking really annoyed

“It’s you rookies that came onto the scene in the last year or so – but like I said, you tend to not have any real direction, so you just fuck shit up!” explained Marco

“Oye! Don’t put me into this list!”

“You’re already on the list, you dingbat, the second you declared yourself a gang. Everyone’s been waiting for you to join the list anyways”

“Also, why the fuck do you call them rookies?” asked Law, wincing a bit as Marco kept working onto the outline

“Because any new person doing gang work, so to speak, or starting a gang, will draw the attention of everyone – so every major gang has their eye on them as a potential recruit. So they’re rookies in that sense”

“Am I one of them?” asked Luffy, with a big smile on his face

Marco rolled his eyes

“Are you kidding me?”

“Are they all from around here?” asked Law, trying to get more info

“No, they’re literally from all over the world” explained Marco, sighing “Keeping track of all of them is a real pain, but a few are local, thankfully”

“Like?”

“Well, you, the monkey, Zoro, Bonney Jewelry, Drake Eks and that’s it for now, but I got word that a few seem to be migrating this way”

Law bit his lip, not sure he should tell Marco about Kid or not, he didn’t need Kid on his ass if he found out

“Haha, Ace hates that Drake guy!” said Luffy, chuckling

“Speaking of Ace – have you seem him today? He never reported back in last night” asked Marco, keeping a neutral tone

Law discreetly looked towards Cora again and noticed that the other had turned his head – not even being discreet about him listening in

“He and Sabo were sleeping in the tree house this morning! Dadan forbid me to go bother them though, she said that Ace was going to be in a really bad mood so not to make it worst” admitted Luffy, frowning

 

Marco nodded as he kept tattooing, and then spoke really loudly

“Were you at the bust last night, Rosinante? That gang party that got raided?”

Cora squeaked loudly, jumping up in his seat as he loudly dropped his book

“I-I can’t tell you that!!”

“And that’s a yes” replied Marco with a big smirk on his face

“I said nothing of the sort! I’m a guardian today, for my child!”

Law snorted, a flustered Cora was always funny for some reason – but Cora’s expression soon grew serious and he stood up, walking towards the counter separating the waiting area and where Marco was tattooing

“Luffy…do you have any idea if Ace is okay?”

Law frowned sharply, not sure why everyone kept asking about Ace

Luffy sighed, pouting “If Ace and Sabo were in the tree house, it means that Ace doesn’t want to see me”

“Why wouldn’t Ace want to see you?” asked Law, confused

Luffy sighed deeply this time, crossing his arms as he looked annoyed

“Ace doesn’t let me see him when he’s not in a good place. Even if he’s in a pinch, he doesn’t want me to worry about him. He hates to show any weakness to anyone except Sabo. If I go help him, he’ll just scold me anyways”

“Ah” Law couldn’t deny that it made a lot of sense, he was like that himself

Cora frowned deeply, looking really…sad. Cora must know something that Law didn’t and frankly, it was starting to drive him completely nuts!

How does Cora keep gathering so many damn secrets and information?!

Well… _he is a spy_

“If you see Ace, tell him to goddamn come see me or fucking call, will you?” said Marco, sighing as he moved to the other arm

Law blinked, oh, one was done!

 

The mood was really quiet in the room for a long while.

 Suddenly Ace walked into the studio from the mansion – and frankly, _he looked like he went through the ringer!_ His eyes were red and bloodshot, his face looked swollen and the skin on his cheeks looked rubbed raw. His hair was a dishevelled mess and he had massive bags under his eyes too and a sheen of green on him. He was shirtless and his shorts were hanging low, as if Ace hadn’t even bothered doing them up properly

Law was pretty sure he was hung-over – but he also looked like he had been crying; _a lot_!

“Hey Marco, sorry, my phone died and –“ his eyes zoomed in to Cora and he quietly tensed up

Cora turned around, frowning sharply as he charged towards Ace, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door leading them outside

“I’m stealing him for a moment!” declared Cora as he stormed out, Ace in tow

Marco shrugged as he kept working on the tattoo, silence in the room

“Uh…you okay with that?” asked Law, surprised, a few moments later

Marco looked at Law smugly

“Do you honestly think there are not cameras everywhere?”

_Well Law felt really dumb_

 

Cora suddenly came back into the room, closing the door behind him, without Ace

“Where did he go?” asked Marco without looking up

“He said he was taking a walk” said Cora, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly frustrated “He also said he was sorry for not checking in – his phone died last night and he forgot that he hadn’t checked in this morning”

“ _He’s on shit duty for the next week_ ” said Marco sternly, frowning

“What’s shit duty?” asked Luffy, tipping his head sideways, arms crossed, looking confused

“Literally he has to pick up Stefan’s shit all week”

“ _Who the fuck is Stefan?”_ asked Law, what kind of degenerate they had living at this house that they had to schedule someone to pick up his excrements?!

“Stefan’s the old man’s dog, Torao!” said Luffy, laughing

_Well now Law felt dumb- clearly he was getting really tired_

 

It wasn’t long after that Marco did the last few rows and the tattoos were done

Law groaned, slowly getting out of the chair, feeling a bit dizzy, looking at the forearms before Marco started to wrap them up

“You remember everything I told you last time?” asked Marco as he started to bandage them up

“Yep”

“Guess we’re not feeding you this time – too bad, you might have gotten to meet Stefan, you know, _the dog_ ”

Law growled slightly, eyes narrowing

“I’m allowed to fuck up once in a while! Who gives people name to pets anyways?!”

“ _Your guardian is named after a dumb horse_ ” pointed out Marco, grinning as Luffy fell off his chair laughing

“OYE!” snapped Law at Marco, getting riled up – he was exhausted and his patience was running thin!

“Okay, okay, enough” said Cora, walking up to them “How about we get out of here and get some food, okay? I’ll call Bepo and tell him to meet us at that Thai place around the corner from our house?”

Law nodded, still feeling like a total dunce at his mistake

“Yeah, let’s”

“Luffy, do you want to join us for supper?”

Luffy smiled brightly, nodding

“Yeah! I wanna!”

Law couldn’t help but smile a bit at how enthusiastically Luffy accepted the offer – but then again, _it was for food_

“Excellent! C’mon everyone” said Cora as he led them both out, clearly wanting to diffuse the tension

Law sighed, but then he stopped them “Wait! I gotta pay-“

“Rosinante already paid for it. He put his card number down on the form for me to charge him after”

“Give yourself a 20% tip, okay?” said Cora, smiling brightly

“Cora!” snapped Law, annoyed

Cora smiled

“Aww c’mon, let me pay for some too”

Law groaned, knowing there was no arguing with Cora like this

“I’m paying the next one!”

“Fine fine”

“Can I get one?” asked Luffy, turning around to look at Marco, who was cleaning up

“Ace said he would skin me alive” replied Marco, not even looking up “He also said you’d get something really dumb too”

Luffy pouted deeply, taking Law’s hand in his as they went outside

“Ace is a party pooper”

Law chuckled slightly at the comment but then frowned as he spotted Ace sitting on the grass at the edge of the estate, looking at his phone, looking lost

_What the hell had happened_?

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Cora's side is next week BUT I'm trying to crank out a little something something for 10 Days of Lawlu! Should be up on tumblr on the last day (I wanted T!) and I'll post it here too! So don't worry! So I'll have /two/ fics on this site!


	65. -CORA- Motherhening Is A Full-Time Job (Where Are Your Adults?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now it's time for Cora's side of the events!

 

 

That scene was haunting him

It was as in a single moment; Cora saw all the pain that was coming in the future

He had merely meant to go assist the Captain when he saw him in pursuit, but Cora didn’t mean to witness the heartbreaking scene instead

Ace on top of the roof on an old building, looking distraught as he locked eyes with the Captain who was looking up at Ace from the ground – mirroring the same look

Cora felt that he had walked into something incredibly private and personal and took advantage of his ability to be quiet as he stepped away from the scene

This was going to lead to so much trouble; he didn’t need the Captain knowing he was aware of it

 

“Trafalgar, help us out here?” asked Bellemere, putting a few more of the Buggy’s gang members into the police van

“A-Ah! Yeah!” said Cora, jogging up to the van, tripping at the last second and slamming into the squad car, earning a loud screech from inside

Cora blinked, shocked

“What the hell was that?”

“Buggy” said Bellemere, sighing loudly “He’s a…a vocal one. Mind riding with me as I bring him back to the station?”

“No, not at all” said Cora, sighing

“Officer Trafalgar, have you seen the Captain?” asked Tashigi, surprising Cora

“A-Ah, yeah, he…he was out looking for the guy he was pursuing!”

_It wasn’t totally a lie_ – but Tashigi didn’t need to know who Smoker was chasing

Not now anyways

“Alright, I’ll go looking for him!” declared Tashigi, Bellemere nodded

“Alright, good luck and radio us if you need backup”

“No need” said Smoker, coming out from a side alley, looking deeply frustrated and once again with two cigars

_How the hell does he keep doing that_?!

“Captain, permission to drive the squad car with Buggy back to the station with Trafalgar?” asked Bellemere

Smoker merely nodded

“Granted. I want to give one good look at this hideout before we leave”

Cora sighed, it sounded more like the Captain wanted more time to compose himself

 

“EEEE LET ME OUT OF HERE!! THIS IS MALTREATMENT! I’LL SUE! I’LL SUE!”

Cora was ready to murder

But murder is bad

_Bad_

He’s pretty sure he’d be forgiven for murdering this clown though

“Pipe down, Buggy!” yelled Bellemere for probably the 100th time at this point, honestly, Cora lost track a while back and now he had a pounding headache  
  
“I KNOW MY RIGHTS!!”

“Who the fuck is this clown anyways?” asked Cora quietly, surprised at what a big deal was made for such an idiot!

“Oh, Buggy here used to be in Roger’s gang but went solo after the execution. He’s in one of those, probably harmless but shouldn’t risk it categories” explained Bellemere, but then she frowned deeply “He’s also a major pain in the ass”

Cora pursed his lips, mulling it over and then smirked

“Do you have sunglasses handy?” asked Cora, using some hand lotion that was left in the car to slick his hair back, spiking it up a bit

Bellemere lifted a brow and handed over a pair of aviators to Cora who merely smirked and put them on

“Watch this” said Cora as he turned around to look at Buggy through the screen, smirking

“Listen here, you better keep that mouth of yours shut or I’m going to make you regret you ever showed your face in this town, you get me?”

Bellemere looked at Cora stunned for a moment as she kept driving

_Oops! He had never showed her how well he could imitate Doffy!_

Buggy lost all the colour in his face and let out an extremely loud screech

“DOFLAMINGO?!”

And promptly passed out

Cora chuckled, taking off the sunglasses and handed them back to Bellemere as he ruffled up his hair

“That was fucking terrifying, Rosi, _holy shit_ ”

“It’s every baby brother’s duty to learn to perfectly imitate their big brother – even if he is a serial killer and a total psychopath. _At least we’ll have quiet now_!”

Bellemere could only laugh

 

 Buggy’s gang had officially too many damn members

Registering all these goddamn new prisoners was taking so long and it was already way past midnight

Smoker soon stormed in, looking mad as hell

Cora frowned, had the Captain found something at the scene of the raid? He has been gone for over an hour at this point

“The Mayor has skipped town! Wiper was beaten almost to death but he had a rap sheet on the son of a bitch a mile long _and the fucker skipped town!”_

Everyone at the office jumped out of their seats, looking at the Captain shocked who promptly punched a hole in the wall

“While we were in the middle of the fucking raid – the Mayor skipped town! _We fucked up_!” howled Smoker

Cora’s jaw dropped

“How’s Wiper doing?” asked Tashigi, overly concerned

“At the hospital now. He managed to call me before he lost consciousness and told me everything. Kept saying ‘ _The Strawhats are here and they gave him a good beating’_!”

Cora froze – wasn’t that the name of Luffy’s gang?

Holy _shit_!

Bellemere looked at Cora instantly, pure horror on her face, and then she got up

“Captain. I…I need to get home”

The Captain instantly glared at her, clearly pissed that she even dared to ask at such a time but Cora stepped in between them

“I’ll stay as long as you need instead!”

Bellemere looked at Cora surprised and Smoker paused for a moment, instantly softening up

“Fine, get some sleep. Trafalgar, get in the cell area and make sure they don’t plan any shit” ordered Smoker before he stormed off to his office, slamming the door

There was a moment of silence before Bellemere turned and hugged Cora tightly

“Thank you, so much”

“Go make sure Nami’s okay” said Cora, hugging her back before he headed off into the cell area

 

Cora was expecting many things as he walked to the cells, but not… _not this_

He stood there in awe at the grotesque display of flexibility, pretty sure some dislocated limbs as well, contorted into this weird mess

Buggy’s head was passed the bar cell and his body was weirdly twisted through the largest opening of the cell’s door

It was revolting!!

“GET BACK IN THERE!” yelled Cora, giving the door a swift kick

Buggy let out a yip, looking up at Cora and started to laugh nervously

“HAHAHA I was just, I wanted to show you how easily someone could escape these cells! Not safe! Doing you a favour you see!”

“Oh what the hell!! I’m not buying that! Get the hell back into the cell!”

“I-I was doing that right now!! Yes! Right now!!”

Cora growled, taking the police baton and started hitting the bars

“Now! Now! Now! GET IN THERE! I swear to god!”

Great! Now he had to put Buggy in an isolated cell – more paperwork!

_Damn clown_!!

 

It was well past 4am by the time Cora got home

He was exhausted and his mind couldn’t stop whirling

_Poor Bellemere! Poor Smoker! Poor Ace!_

One now deathly worried about their child, the other in a difficult situation with their lover and the last now, probably heartbroken that he might have ruined everything

Personally he didn’t know how he’d feel if he had caught Law or Bepo at a crime scene

Would his heart be able to take it?

Cora sighed, crossing his arms as he looked at both boys, sleeping soundly in Law’s room, leaning against the doorframe

He needed to make sure his boys were safe

It was finally calming him down to be able to watch them, sleeping soundly and safe

Cora sighed again, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to relax for a moment

“Are you drunk?”

Cora’s eyes snapped over as he looked at Law, that was staring right at him, looking completely annoyed

“What?! No!” replied Cora, trying to stay quiet for Bepo’s sake

“Are you okay?” asked Law, now in a soften voice, starting to sit up

“Just a hard night, go back to bed. You have a big day tomorrow and you need to be in top shape”

“You go to bed too, okay?” said Law sleepily, falling back on his pillow

“Of course Law, I’m going right now”

“Love you, Corammm”

Cora chuckled, Law mumbling the rest of it

“Love you too, Law”

 

Cora was going to start associating the sound of the tattoo needle with being stressed out

He was hoping that seeing Luffy was going to solve a few of his concerns, but if anything, it worried him even more

But his suspicions were confirmed when Marco confronted Luffy about the Mayor – _he was responsible for it!_

Luffy was filled with scratches and bruises, but honestly, Cora didn’t think much of it because the boy was usually banged up. He was grinning brightly though, not a concern in the world

Either he was blindly optimistic or incredibly nonchalant

Cora sighed again quietly, musing it over, it would make sense that Law would like someone that’s a blinding ray of sunshine – he does need that in his life

Suddenly the door slammed open and Ace came down the stairs, looking like absolute hell

_Holy sweet mother of god_ – that kid was not doing well at all!

“Hey Marco, sorry, my phone died and –“

Cora turned around, frowning sharply as he charged towards Ace, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door leading them outside

“I’m stealing him for a moment!” declared Cora as he stormed out, Ace in tow

 

Cora expected more resistance from Ace, but the other quietly followed along. On the other hand, he looked utterly exhausted, many he didn’t have the energy to fight against him either

He also kinda reeked of booze – damn, people were trying him today!

Soon enough they were outsides and Cora turned around to face Ace, letting go of his arm

“Why were you at Buggy’s party last night?” Cora didn’t see the point of beating around the bush

Ace instantly glared at him, not even trying to hide the hostility

“You asking as a cop?”

Cora frowned deeply, instantly tensing up

“No! I’m asking as an adult that actually cares about your wellbeing! Besides, I saw you on the roof!”

It was heartbreaking to see Ace’s bravado instantly crumble, looking like a kicked puppy

“I…I was just there to find out why Buggy was in town. I swear, that was it”

“I see”

“Did…did the Captain…he recognized me, didn’t he?”

Cora sighed, his heart aching, but he didn’t want to lie to the kid

“I recognized you and I’m not the one…” _Sleeping with you? Dating you?_ “that’s in love with you”

Cora winced; he clearly picked the wrong words because Ace looked completely devastated once he said them

“You need to go talk with him, Ace. And as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be”

Ace nodded slowly, looking at the ground

Cora watched as his fingers curled into a fist as Ace struggled to choke the words out, his voice sounded scratchy and raw

He probably cried, and a lot

“…But…What if he dumps me?”

There’s a million things that could be said at this very moment, but Cora felt that he deserved the truth

“You should have thought of that before, Ace. Actions have consequences. Take this from someone who spent years living a double life under cover. It never ends well”

Cora wished he didn’t see the pain in Ace’s eyes as he nodded, looking at the ground again, hands in his pockets now

“…I need to go think about things. Could you tell Marco that I meant to contact him last night but my phone died and I forgot about it this morning?”

Cora nodded, smiling softly as he put his hand on Ace’s shoulder

“I can do that. Take care of yourself Ace, okay? The only advice I can give you is to be honest with your feelings and be honest with the Captain as well”

Ace said nothing and didn’t move either so Cora took the hint to leave, going back inside the studio

 

Cora couldn’t help but chuckle at how peeved Law still was at him for paying for the tattoos – did he honestly think that Cora wouldn’t? _Please_

Bepo had met him at the Thai place and they had soon ordered their food. Bepo and Luffy in animated discussion about the latest martial art movie they both saw while Law happily listened in. He added his comments here and there, him also having seen the movie

Law had a soft spot for ninjas – he’d never admit it though but Cora saw the pile of mangas under his bed

_Like please, Law_

But his conversation with Ace was still troubling him – Ace had never looked so – _young_ to him before

Deep down Cora kinda wishes he had been able to grab Ace before he went down this road. Granted, Newgate did seem like a really good man – but Ace deserved better than this. All the kids in this house deserved a chance to be living a life that isn’t riddled in crime and not having to make difficult decisions like this

Kids Ace’s age should be debating between colleges – not wondering if his gang activity might have cost him his relationship

“You okay, Cora? You look kinda out of it?” asked Law, snapping Cora out of his thoughts

“Sorry, just thinking about things” admitted Cora, waving Law’s concern away

“Is this about the big gang bust last night?” asked Bepo, grinning as their food arrived

“How do you know about that?” asked Cora, surprised

“It was on tv this morning! Hack also asked me if you were okay since he said that gang busts can get pretty violent!” explained Bepo

“Oh, yeah, I was there. But it was fine” said Cora, but then he looked at Luffy “Captain’s mad though, since apparently when that happened, the Mayor skipped town”

Luffy nodded, happily eating his food

“It’s okay though! We made sure he’ll never come back!”

“Luffy! You keep forgetting that Cora’s a cop!” snapped Law

“It’s fine” said Cora, sighing, honestly, _was he much of a cop nowadays considering how much he’s hanging out with gang members_?

He sure as hell didn’t feel like one

“You see! Mister Rosisisi says it’s okay!” pointed out Luffy, grinning

“It still puts him in an uncomfortable position!” replied Law, sighing

“Luffy, why do you keep getting involved in illegal situations anyways?”

Bepo and Law looked at Cora completely shocked with the question

“I don’t mean to!” started Luffy, chuckling but then he frowned, a serious expression on his face “But when I see things that aren’t right, I can’t just stand by, you know! I gotta go help!”

Cora blinked, looking at Luffy a little surprised

Law on the other hand, looked at Luffy in awe, unable to stop the small smile curling up at the corner of his lips

Cora nodded, not sure how to contest that

“Just…Be careful, okay, Luffy? I’d hate for something to happen to you”

“I’ll be careful, mister Rosisisi! I promise!”

Cora couldn’t help but chuckle, it was really easy to get caught up with Luffy’s optimism

He just hoped that nothing would happen that would cause Luffy to break his promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it! Now it's all in Ace's hands and hopefully he'll make the right decisions! 
> 
> Also I full-on Cora-ed this Thursday, face-planting right into the sidewalk, let me tell ya, not fun at all!


	66. -ACE- Michael Polnareff Sang a Song About This (I Just Hope I Don't Sound As Pathetic)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! Ace's chapter! Hopefully you'll all enjoy it!

 

 

 

_We need to talk_

_We nee_

_Can we talk?_

_Can w_

_Are you available to talk right now?_

_Are you available to talk right now? Please?_

_Are you available to talk right now? Pl_

_Are you available to talk right now?_

 

Ace sighed deeply, looking at his phone in his hand. He took a deep breath and hit send, sending off the message

Never had he wanted one of the new phones more than right now, wanted that dumb little notice that told you that someone had seen your message

_Rosinante was right_ – he couldn’t put this off if he wanted any chance of reconciliation and frankly, it was cowardly of him to be putting this off anyways

_And Ace D. Portgas was no coward!_

Even though right now _, he was kinda scared_

Ace yipped when the phone suddenly vibrated, scaring him

Ace blinked, looking down and saw that he had a message

He quickly opened it and made a loud relieved noise when he saw the message

 

_Chase <3_

_Meet me tonight at my house after my shift_

 

Ace yelled out in victory, beyond thrilled that he got a reply. He pumped both hands in the air and fell back into the grass, grinning brightly

“You seem pretty happy for someone that dared show up the next day, with no contact whatsoever, during a job that involved a fucking police bust“

Ace merely smiled weakly at Marco

He had no idea when Marco started walking up to him, but there he was, standing right behind Ace, glaring, arms crossed, clearly not happy

“Ehhh…I…I didn’t meant to-“

“I know. Got plastered with Buggy, huh?” teased Marco, snickering as he untensed. Ace shifted, turning around and sitting up

“How did you k-?”

“You reek of booze, you dolt. I knew you two would get along though, hence why I sent you”

Ace blinked, looking at Marco confused

“Oh! He was actually pretty great! I had a lot of fun with Buggy! Until of course, we got busted. How come they busted him though? He seemed more or less pretty harmless – that Alvida girl though, I’d watch the hell out of her though”

If anyone made him feel super uncomfortable at that meeting – _it was her for sure_. She was without a doubt the brains of the operation, but for some reason, she was always drenched in sweat as if the place was like some sort of sauna. Ace personally didn’t find the place that warm at all, especially not for November! _And she was wearing a bikini top_!

“Because Buggy used to be in Roger’s gang. So the cops have their eyes on him”

Ace blinked, looking at Marco shocked as he shot up from the ground

“Eh?! You serious?!”

_Ace honestly didn’t know how he felt about the fact that he was partying last night with an ex-member of his old man’s gang_

“So, what do you have to report?” asked Marco, sighing

“Uh, they’re here to steal some jewels”

“No drugs?”

Ace shook his head

“No, but Buggy can like, contort his body really weirdly! He can dislocate limbs and stretch his skin a bit, not as much as Luffy, but enough!”

Marco nodded, listening carefully

“Anything else to report?”

“My boyfriend probably hates me now and I wouldn’t be surprised if he dumps me over this?”

Ace didn’t mean to say it, but right now, he couldn’t stop thinking about it and it just came out like word vomit

“Ace” started Marco, sighing deeply “If he does, I’ll make his life a living hell”

Ace couldn’t help but smile at Marco’s comment – too bad it didn’t remove the pit in his stomach

 

“And then Marco told me to beat it because all my pacing was driving him nuts”

“I can’t believe Rosinante lectured you” said Sabo, in awe

After being  ‘annoying’ for about an hour or so, Marco had kicked Ace out of the mansion, saying that Ace needed some air to clear his head

But frankly, Ace didn’t want to be alone right now

So he had made his way to the Revolutionary Army’s café to see Sabo and give him an update on everything that has happened since they last saw each other

“Why do cute blondes always want to take care of me, Sabo?” asked Ace playfully, leaning over the counter towards Sabo, batting his eyes, showing that he had no ill-will towards Cora at all, if anything, he kinda needed to be lectured like that

_Not that he would admit it of course_

 “Well, you see Ace, you’re like a stray alley cat” started Sabo as he cleaned the counter, gesturing Ace to get off it

“Excuse me?”

“You’re dirty, you’re smelly, you have your claws out and you yowl at people. But we blondes have the ability to know that you only really need some good old TLC and then you’re going to be a soft, purring kitten”

Ace had to laugh at the comparison; he can’t say he was expecting that!

“Mew?”

“Baww” teased Sabo as he petted the top of Ace’s head gently, making both of them laugh

But then Sabo’s expression grew serious

“Are you ready to talk with the Captain though? Like emotionally?”

Ace sighed loudly, scratching the back of his head

“Honestly? _Rosinante’s right_. The longer I put this off, the worst it’s going to be. And I’ll look like a total coward too, and I can’t stand that”

_He didn’t need the Captain to think even worst of him right now_

“Well, if you’re going to go talk to the Captain about last night, you need to get cleaned up, Ace” said Koala, walking up to them with a tray filled with dishes “You smell like booze and it’s just going to piss off the Captain”

Ace groaned, _he had forgotten about that_

“Shit! I don’t have time to go back home though, and Dadan gets pissed as hell when we run the pipes during the day”

“Don’t worry, we have a shower down here!” explained Sabo, coming from around the counter “I’ll bring you there”

“But what about-?” started Ace, but then he was caught off by Koala

“I’ll go buy you some clothes! There’s a nice local shop around here”

“But you don’t have my si-“

“I’m texting your sizes to Koala right now so she’ll have them” said Sabo

“You guys don’t have to-“

“Shut up, Ace. Let us” said Sabo as Koala left, grabbing her purse from around the counter

 

“Okay, I have to admit, I feel a million times better. But Koala _, you didn’t have to buy me boxers too_ ”

Koala scoffed, crossing her arms. Koala had returned in no time, but now it was time to close the shop. With the sign flipped, they could relax a bit, with no clients around

“Yes I do! Who knows how long you’ve been wearing those ratty old things!”

“How much do I owe you for all of this?” asked Ace, feeling guilty

Koala had gotten him some quality clothing! He was wearing a pair of black slacks, with a nice belt and a burnt orange dress shirt with a small black vest

“Nothing! I don’t want a dime from you, merely news of how it all goes”

“But-“

“No buts! Let me spoil you once in a while, Ace!” argued Koala, huffing “Especially after the really lovely purse you got me for my birthday!”

Ace smiled, blushing a bit, he was really happy to see that Koala was enjoying the purse he got her for her birthday

“But it was your bi-“

“Consider this my early birthday present then! Considering-“

“It’s okay, really! Just come home safe, it’s all I ask! From both of you”

Koala and Sabo nodded, smiling

“We can at least do that much! Now C’mon, dig in! It’s supper time!” announced Sabo as he brought out three plates for all them

Ace was beyond thankful he had them in his life

 

Ace felt a hand on his shoulder softly shake him

He opened his eyes and looked confused, yawning softly

Guess he fell asleep?

But suddenly his vision was filled with the image of a tired looking Smoker, kneeling in front of him

_Shit! Right_!

After dinner, he had made his way to Smoker’s house and decided to wait it out for the other on his front porch and guess he fell asleep?

“You could have waited inside. You still have the key” stated Smoker, not exactly hostile, but not in the friendliest tone either

He was probably holding back his rage

“I…I didn’t want to impose”

Smoker looked at him quietly for a moment and then walked up the stairs past Ace, unlocking the door

Ace quietly followed Smoker, watching carefully as the other removed his coat, desperately wanting to touch the other man’s shoulders, hold him tight, burry his face between those shoulder blades

But right now, honestly, he was terrified of instigating contact, he doesn’t know what he’d do if Smoker recoiled at his touch

“I’m just going to get changes first” said Smoker, making his way up the stairs

Ace could tell the other had an awfully long day and now he felt awful for prolonging it

Without really thinking about it, Ace went to the patio door and let Justice in, who happily greeted Ace

Ace went to fill her bowl of water and the other with food and soon Justice happily chomped down as Ace watched quietly

 

Moments later, Smoker came downstairs, dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, seemingly pleasantly surprised with the scene in front of him

“You fed her?”

Ace jumped, surprised at bring addressed

“Oh, force of habit, I didn’t-“

“It’s fine, Ace”

Ace nodded slowly, unable to stop himself from looking down at the carpet, his nerves eating him up

“…You can take a seat” offered Smoker, sighing loudly as he made his way to the couch, sitting down himself as he took the cigar that was on the ashtray on the coffee table, lighting it up

Ace soon joined him and quickly looked up at Smoker, surprising him

He needed to say it now! _Before he lost the nerve_!

“I was there to find out why Buggy was in town! That’s it! I crashed the party to get intel! But we got along rather well, so I wound up staying for the rest of the party but I swear! Aside from drinking, I wasn’t doing anything else illegal!”

Smoker blinked, surprised at Ace blurting out the information and started to sputter, frowning

“Ace, you still-! It’s illegal! _You were present at a gang bust and you ran away from an officer_!” replied Smoker, clearly upset “That’s guilty by association and evading arrest!”

“I know! I’m not denying that! I just…I wanted to tell you the truth of what I was doing that night. I wasn’t dealing or anything, just gathering intel on Buggy!” Ace mumbled the end, rubbing the back of his neck

“I’m supposed to report that you were at the scene, Ace! I’m compromising my career and my reputation here by not doing it and-“ explained Smoker, clearly trying not to blow a casket, making Ace panic

“I don’t want special treatment! Report me! I’m not with you because you’re the Chief of Police, Chase! I’m with you because I love you!”

Smoker paused for a moment and then looked at Ace sadly

“I’m the Chief of Police regardless, Ace!” and then Smoker paused again, closing his eyes, his shoulders sagging slightly as he rubbed his brow “ I’m only going to overlook this because we have our hands rather full with Buggy’s gang, but…If I catch you again…I’m going to have to-“

“Do what you must as Chief, Chase! Please! I’m not worth you risking everything for me!”

Smoker looked at Ace suddenly seeming really hurt by the comment, making Ace wince as he slightly pulled back

Ace bowed slightly from his spot on the couch

“I’m so so sorry for putting you in that position, I shouldn’t have even gone or should have left hours before since I got the info rather fast”

Ace really wished he could stop talking right now, he knew he was rambling, but the lack of sleep and the strained emotions he had all day was making him just babble on

_He just needed Smoker to know that he didn’t mean to put him in that position_

“Ace, _please_ ” Ace suddenly stopped talking, now noticing that Justice was whining, patting him on the leg, trying to get Ace’s attention “Stop apologizing”

“I…I just…I don’t want you mad at me. But I totally get why you would be…I really fucked up”

Smoker sighed, taking the cigar out of his mouth and exhaling

“Yeah, you did. But, you came here and you explained yourself, and that shows that I’m not wasting my time with you”

Ace looked at Smoker hopeful, as he smiled softly

He still felt like shit, but that made him feel better

“…Can I…Can I hug you?”

Ace bit his lip, waiting for the answer as Smoker suddenly leaned forward, pulling Ace into a tight hug

Ace melted into the touch, gripping the back of Smoker’s shirt as he hugged him back, burying his face into Smoker’s shoulder

“…I’m not mad at you, Ace. I’m just pissed off that last night even happened”

Ace gripped Smoker even tighter

“What the fuck are we going to do? It’s not like you’re going to stop being a Whitebeard and I can’t look the other way when I know illegal things are going on. Not when they’re not justified either”

“I know, I know” mumbled Ace

Ace knew that getting involved with a police officer wasn’t the best idea

_But he couldn’t help himself with Smoker_

He was just so drawn to the other

Ace lifted his head and let go of Smoker’s shirt and reached up, cupping Smoker’s face, not sure when Smoker put his cigar back on the ashtray, and pulled him down into a deep kiss

_But he loved him, he loved so so much_

Smoker hungrily kissed him back, reassuring Ace as they lowered down onto the couch. Ace groaned softly into the kiss, his arms now behind Smoker’s neck, pulling him in closer as they continued to slowly kiss each other

With every kiss, Ace was feeling bolder and bolder and soon enough his hands snuck down Smoker’s shirt, hands slipping underneath the t-shirt, feeling Smoker’s chest. Smoker in response, sat up, off from Ace, grabbing Ace’s wrists

“ _No_.”

“I-I’m sorry, I –“ Ace stared at Smoker, wide-eyed and panicked – he was so used to things going this way lately, that he didn’t even think-!

Of course Smoker wouldn’t want him touching him!

What was he thinking!

_He took too much! He was given an inch and he took a mile!_

Smoker sighed, letting go of Ace’s wrists

“Sorry, it’s just; it’s not a good idea for tonight”

Ace nodded, pulling his hands back dropping them on his lap as he sat up

“I’m sorry, it’s too soon, I shouldn’t have tried anything, I was just following our usual order, but I shouldn’t have assumed and-“

“Ace, no. I mean, we’re not in the right state of mind right now. I’m still ticked off about the situation and you seem desperate right now, it’s just. I had this sex before, Ace. Nobody enjoys having this kind of  sex and we’ll regret it after”

Ace slowly nodded, feeling tears threatening to start welling up, _but he didn’t want to cry again_

Smoker smiled softly, leaning in to kiss the top of Ace’s head

“I want sex with you to be only good memories”

Ace flushed brightly at the comment, smiling a bit as he looked up at Smoker

“I guess I should listen to the experiences adult about this, huh?” teased Ace, making Smoker roll his eyes

“ _Oh shut up_. It’s late, do you want to sleep over?” asked Smoker, getting up from the couch as Justice trotted up to them, knowing that her master was heading to bed

Then Smoker offered his hand to Ace

“Can I?” asked Ace, smiling, gladly taking Smoker’s hand as he got up

“I just invited you, brat” replied Smoker as he started walking up the stairs, still holding onto Ace’s hand

“Well, I guess if I’m invited so nicely, I might as well go~” teased Ace, but he felt butterflies going nuts in his stomach, feeling much better

“But no hanky-panky, I need to sleep. I was up until sunrise making sure the jackass brigade was well-questioned”

“What’s hanky-panky? Is that old man talk?”

“I can take back my offer, you know” threatened playfully Smoker as they arrived to his room, making Ace laugh

“Alright alright, I’ll behave, I guess” teased back Ace again, smirking

But it was all bravado

Because now Ace felt like his relationship might have an expiry date

Ace was going to need to make sure that he does everything in his power to make sure that it never comes to that – otherwise he might lose Smoker

But right now, he didn’t want to think about that

Just of Smoker’s warm sheets, his musk of sweat, gunpowder, leather and smoke, his cool touch, the rough feeling of Smoker’s face and the feeling of being in the other’s arms as Smoker pulled him in close

Right now, Ace just wanted to sleep

 

“Ace?”

Ace blinked, looking up for him spot on Smoker’s chest, to look at the other. They had settled pretty quietly in bed and there hadn’t been a sound in the bedroom for a good 10 minutes now, the lights already all turned off

“Yeah?”

“Can you do me a favour?”

“Anything”

“Be here in the morning?”

The venerability in Smoker’s voice kinda scared Ace, but he still smiled as he pressed a soft kiss on Smoker’s jawline

“Let’s go have breakfast at Makino’s tomorrow morning”

“Fine” said Smoker as he yawned, closing his eyes

Ace smiled softly to himself as he resettled on Smoker’s chest

Maybe there was hope after all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actions have consequences, like Cora said, but hopefully Ace will find a way to fix this!
> 
> I have some promised LawLu in the next chapter, so I hope you all look forward to it!
> 
> (Also I made a calendar of events! So if you guys want dates for all of the events, let me know!)


	67. -LAW- TV Novela Are Less Dramatic Than This! (Why Are Things So Complicated?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! It seems you guys want the calendar!! I'll try to have it all up and ready for next week! Sorry about the slightly late update!! Getting home was hellish today!

 

 

It had snowed

Honestly Law usually had nothing but bad memories of snow, it reminded him of that time where was sure he had lost Cora

But right now, it was making him happy

Luffy’s hand was warm in his as they walked hand in hand through the lush forest. There was barely any tracks in the forest either, making it seemed like the whole forest belonged to only them. They weirdly clashed with Law’s long black coat and Luffy’s white and red stripped coat but right now Law didn’t care

What Law did care about is that Luffy had been rather distracted though, which was a bit killing the mood in Law’s opinion. But mostly because it was making him feel rather self-conscious, as if Luffy didn’t actually want to be with him right now and would rather be elsewhere

“Luffy, if you have somewhere you need to go, we can just stop the date now“ Law didn’t mean for his comment to come out sounding so hostile, yet it did anyways

Luffy blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as he looked at Law confused

“Huh? Why would I want to be anywhere else? I love being with Torao!”

“You seem bothered by something”

“Did Mister Rosisisi tell you what he and Ace talked about?”

_What?!_

Law didn’t think that this was what was distracting Luffy!

“No, when I asked, Cora said that it was between him and Ace and had nothing to do with me, so I didn’t push”

Luffy huffed

“Damn! I was hoping you’d know, Ace has been in a real rotten mood since then!”

Law raised a brow, frowning a bit; Luffy was distracted during their date because Ace was in a bad mood?

“Ah, I guess you’re worried”

Luffy shook his head, huffing again as he puffed up his cheeks

“No! It’s because he’s a real jerk when he’s in a bad mood! He picked on me all morning!”

Now _that_ , Law wasn’t expecting

“What? Like, Ace your brother? The one that mother hens you? He’s able to be mean to you?”

“Oh yeah! Ace can be real mean when he wants to! This morning he shoved me out of the way to use the shower first and then he used up all the hot water!  And then he kept eating my food off my plate by distracting me with things and when I asked to go with him in town, he left without me!” explained Luffy, huffing more

Law had a really hard time wrapping his head around what Luffy was telling him

“Is this…usual for Ace?”

Luffy sighed

“Sorta?  When we first met, he spat on me and threw a log at me! And then he tried to get me killed in this forest, knowing I couldn’t keep up with him!”

“Wait, how old were you?”

“I was 7!”

Law frowned, trying to put this information together for it to be logical

“Ace…almost killed a 7 year old? Rather…tried to kill?”

Luffy chuckled, tugging on Law’s hand

“C’mon! I’ll show you something!”

 

Luffy brought Law up to a massive tree in the forest. Law looked at it in awe, kinda amazed at the size of it

“Ace and Sabo tied me up to this tree!”

Law’s expression sunk as he looked at Luffy in disbelief

_What!?_

“And then they said that they were gonna kill me because I knew now that they hid all the money they’ve been looting for years. So I started to yell and these guys showed up – they were looking for Ace and Sabo who had just robbed one of their guys, but they found me instead”

“What happened next?” asked Law

“Well, the guys were from the Bluejam gang, and they asked me if I knew where the money was and I said no, so they took me back to their lair and started to beat me pretty bad, but I never talked!”

Law was surprised to hear that – what 7 year old would keep their lips sealed as they were being beaten by adults?

“And then Sabo and Ace showed up and saved me! I was so happy! Ace really let me have it though! He told me I should have just told them where the money was and not gotten beaten up like that. But I really wanted to be friends with Ace and I knew he wouldn’t be my friend if I tattled”

“Why did you want to be Ace’s friend so bad anyways? He was treating you like shit”

“Because I had nobody else” replied Luffy sincerely

Law’s heart wrenched at that moment – he knew what that was like and he never thought that Luffy would too

“But then Ace, Sabo and me became super close! We exchanged cups of sake and then we became brothers! Then we built the- oh! I wanna show you that too!”

Law felt Luffy tugging on his hand and followed Luffy to whatever he was leading him to

 

Law was soon enough in front of a massive cabin in a tree. He gaped, in awe at it – he’d never seen one so big before! And so incredibly high up as well

“My brothers and I built this when we were kids! This was our hideout!” started Luffy as he ran up to the rope ladder and started to climb, Law following behind him

“It’s pretty big for kids to build, how long did it take you?”

“About two weeks! We went to Gray Terminal and collected all the materials after scavenging for hours! Sabo made the plan!”

When they got to the top, Luffy told him to be careful of the rope running along the entrance, saying it was a trap for intruders

Law was rather impressed, the foundation was a mix of childish and rather sophisticated construction, but it was rather sparse. It had a ship’s wheel and a mast and Law could spot a giant flag on top

“Was this…a pirate ship?”

Luffy grinned brightly

“Yeah! We played pirates up here a lot! Because the original gangs were pirates, you know!” explained Luffy as he walked up to a pile of blankets, sitting down

“Sit! This is my bed and those are Ace’s and Sabo’s!”

Law sat down and looked around the hideout. There was a thick curtain covering the entrance, which Law only figured was changed for the winter months. Inside there was some battery powered lights hanging from the ceiling of the cabin. There were also a few old beanbags and a table. He noticed that the garbage can was filled with used tissues and there was a bucket that had a sheet on ice in it – so Law can only figure that it had been recently washed

Frankly he wouldn’t be surprised if it was Ace that puked in it – he looked rather hung over the other day

“Did you guys often spend time here?”

Luffy nodded, smiling “Yeah! For months! But when we thought we lost Sabo, it didn’t feel right coming back here without him. But then when we got him back this summer, we had to clean everything up! But it was great to be able to come back!”

“Sounds like it was really fun, I always wanted a club house when I was a kid” admitted Law, smiling softly but then his smile turned sad “My dad had promised to build me one actually, Lami and I were so excited about it”

“Who’s Lami?” asked Luffy, blinking

“Oh…She’s my little sister…well, was, she…she’s gone” Law felt bad suddenly, _what a shitty time to bring up Lami_

“It kinda always hurts doesn’t it?” said Luffy, putting his hand on top of Law’s, rubbing Law’s hand with his thumb

“Yeah, it’s hard. She was also just a kid, a really bright and cheerful kid. She liked colourful things and loved music and festivals”

“Where you two close?”

“Yeah, we did everything together”

“She sounds like a lot of fun!”

Law blinked, feeling a tear run down his face as he smiled

“Yeah, I think you would have really liked her” admitted Law

He never thought that talking about his sister would actually make him feel… _good_

Law froze slightly as he felt Luffy’s hand on his cheek, wiping away the tear

“Thanks for telling me about her, Torao”

Law smiled a bit, nodding

“Thanks for letting me talk about her; people…don’t seem to want to ask about my family. Which I get because you know…I don’t know, I didn’t think it would be nice to”

“You should tell Mister Rosisisi that! And the others! I’m sure they’d love to hear all these stories about your family!”

“Yeah, maybe” Law closed his eyes for a moment and then turned towards Luffy, a small smile on his face

Luffy chuckled softly, before his own expression grew a bit more serious and suddenly, he leaned in, kissing Law softly

“I always want to hear stories from you”

Luffy’s words for some reason was making Law’s heart beat faster

“They’re not always nice though” admitted Law, frowning

“So? As long as they’re yours” replied Luffy earnestly, causing Law to blush a bit

“Only if you tell me more of yours! You’re pretty tight-lipped about what’s been going on with you”

“Huh? Oh! I don’t think about telling you about it, but I will if you want me to!”

Law groaned, figures that Luffy wasn’t keeping it a secret – _he just didn’t bother to tell him about what was going on with him_

“I’m your boyfriend, Luffy…I want to know about that kind of stuff” admitted Law, blushing furiously as he looked at the ground, unable to deal with the fact that he was actually admitting this!

“Okay! I’ll tell you all about my adventures!”

 

Somehow story time became makeout time

Luffy was practically in his lap, one hand on Law’s arm and the other was resting on Law’s thigh as the two devoured each other’s mouths. Law was gripping the back of Luffy’s coat, pulling him in closer with the other hand at the nape of Luffy’s neck, a few of Law’s fingers in Luffy’s hair. Both of them knocked each other’s hats off in the process. Thankfully, their body heat was making it that the hideout wasn’t too cold, even in the cold weather

Law groaned softly as he felt Luffy’s tongue in his mouth, forever glad he had showed him how to do that. _Guess Cora’s books did come in use for them_. Luffy was a greedy kisser, which Law quickly realized. Once he realized it was something he liked, he just wanted more and more. Law’s lips were quickly getting swollen and a part of his mind was pointing out how this exchange of fluids can’t be healthy for him – but he didn’t care right now. He had missed Luffy in the last few or so weeks and it was nice to be able to have him all to himself like this

Luffy made a soft moaning sound, shooting up a spark through Law’s spine. They pulled back, breathing hard, trying to catch their breath. Law could see the puffs of air as they exhaled, signaling that it was getting even colder. But with Luffy’s flushed cheeks, his quick breathing, the glazed over look on his face, the swollen lips – Law couldn’t help but think about how… _erotic_ Luffy looked at that moment

Law went to lean in to kiss Luffy again but was quickly stopped by a snowball hitting him right in the face

“What the fuck?!” snapped Law, ready to murder whoever dared to bother them

“No shenanigans in the hideout! What the fuck, get a room!” roared Ace, lunging for Luffy, smashing the clump of snow that he had in his hand, right into Luffy’s face

“Oye Ace, c’mon, relax!” tried Sabo as he also walked into the hideout, pushing the thick curtain aside and instantly stared at Law, a small smirk on the corner of his mouth

Oh the son of a bitch! _He was enjoying this_!

“What about that time that you and Sabo were practicing kissing back then?! So it’s only allowed for you two?! That’s not fair!” yelled Luffy, outraged and annoyed at Ace, who was straddling Luffy’s waist, still trying to mush the snow all over Luffy’s face

In a moment, Law saw both Sabo and Ace become a scarlet red

“W-What?! You were up?! I thought you were sleeping!!” squeaked Sabo, horrified

“You little brat!! We were kids! Don’t bring up ancient history like that!!” yelled Ace, whapping Luffy’s head

Law lifted a brow – Sabo and Ace would practice kissing?

“Is there a reason you guys came here?” asked Law, trying not to sound really annoyed _– but he was really annoyed_

“We gotta work on our metal works project” explained Sabo, taking out this small machine from his giant messenger bag

“Couldn’t you have done it somewhere else?”

“I would like to point out that the three of us own this place, and right now it’s two out of three who are here to work on a project together, which meaaaans-“ started Sabo

Law sighed, standing up and walking up to Ace and Luffy, giving Ace’s shoulder a shove

“Oye. Get off of him. We’re gonna leave”

Ace paused, shooting Law a dirty look

“You want to run that by me again?”

Law instantly stiffed up, not used to such hostility from Ace and returned the dirty look, not in the mood to step down right now

If Ace is itching for a fight – _Law will give it to him!_

Luffy shoved Ace off of him and scrambled up, trying to brush off the snow off his coat

“We’ll go keep talking our walk, have fun with your robot!” said Luffy, grabbing Law’s hand  and they quickly went out of the hideout

Law made a point to keep glaring at Ace

 

Once they were down the rope ladder and back on their way, Luffy took Law’s hand back in his, grumbling

“See? He’s being a jerk!”

“He’s probably being all pissy because he’s probably fighting with his boyfriend or something”

Luffy blinked, looking at Law confused for a moment and then it looked like a light bulb lit on top of his head

“Oh! You’re probably right! That would explain it!”

Law said it but now he really thought about it – _Was Ace fighting with the Captain_? That would explain why Cora said that it was between them…did it happen during the drug bust?

_Tch, whatever_

“C’mon Torao! I want to show you something cool down this way!”

Law happily followed

 

“Whoah, that’s a gorgeous house”

Law was in awe at the house that was right on the outskirt of the forest – and rather isolated by the looks of it

Luffy trotted up to the gate of the fence and quickly punched in a number, surprising Law

“How come you know the code?”

“Because it’s Franky and Robin’s place and they gave it to me!” explained Luffy as the gate swung open

“Whoah whoah, like, from school? Like the teachers?!” asked Law, shocked

“Yeah! We’re friends!”

Law quietly followed Luffy into apparently his teacher’s yard, looking at all the metal creations around the yard

“What the hell-?”

“Franky makes these! Robin thinks they’re cute!”

Law shrugged, to each their own

But then Law stopped, pulling Luffy back

“Wait…I hear voices…and they don’t sound too happy”

Luffy blinked, looking at Law confused. Law looked around and spotted that the main doors were open of this large workshop and inside of the workshop there was a rather annoyed looking Franky and a man dressed sharply who looked just straight up _mad_

Law dragged Luffy behind a large metal sculpture that put them close enough to hear, but not enough to really see

“Why are we hiding?! Franky said I can go say hello whenever!” Law quickly clamped a hand over Luffy’s mouth, signaling him to be quiet

“Shh! Just listen! I think something bad is going on” whispered Law

 

“Oh I see – mister hot shot entrepreneur has come to visit me to brag about how he’s been asked to step-in as Mayor?”

“Nma, it’s not about that and you know it! _It’s about how your wife has apparently gone missing_ ”

“She has not! She’s just gone on an errand or something and she forgot to tell me!”

“Then how come my workers have seen you looking around town for her? Nma, don’t lie to me! I told you it was a mistake to marry her! What’s wrong with you?! Tom warned us about her and _you go and marry her!_ ”

“ _You don’t even know her, idiotburg!_ You have a lot of nerve to come here out of nowhere and talk crap about my amazing Robin!”

“When’s the last time you saw her?” asked Iceburg

Law frowned when Franky said nothing for a few moments

“…She came home all beaten up on Friday night, but said that she was fine and then when I woke up Monday morning, she was gone. But I assumed that she just went to school early, she does that sometimes. She likes to do research with that Portgas kid. But when I got to school, apparently she never showed up. So I lied, saying a family member of hers died and she had to suddenly go to a funeral while I looked for her”

Law’s heart squeezed, he never heard Franky sound so dejected

“I never trusted her! Did she steal the plans?” hissed Iceburg, clearly pissed off

“ _Dude, she doesn’t even know I have them._ I kept my word. I haven’t said anything about them. This isn’t like her to run off!” then Franky paused, groaning “Okay, it is! _But not from me_! We’re honest with each other!”

“We should go” whispered Law, seeing that Luffy was shaking from rage

“He can’t just say all those mean things about Robin-!” yelled Luffy, but Law clamped his hand back on Luffy’s mouth, so most of it just came out sounding really muffled

“ _Let’s go_ ” stressed Law again, dragging Luffy away _who clearly wanted to fight this ‘idiotburg_ ’

   

“Robin would never abandon Franky! Or us!” yelled Luffy once they were back in the woods

“Us?”

“Robin’s part of our gang!” admitted Luffy

“Not Franky too?” Law remembered Luffy saying that he wanted to recruit them both

“Naw, apparently Franky said that he didn’t want to be a target or something. But Robin said that it sounded fun to join us! So I don’t get why she’d leave like that! Something must have happened!”

Law sighed deeply, this date definitely just ended

“Do you want to go looking for her?”

“Can we?” asked Luffy, hopeful

Law nodded in response, taking out his cellphone

“I’ll call Cora to see if he might have heard of anything; let’s get going back to town though!”

 

“Robin Nico? What do you want me to tell you about her?”

Law frowned, it sounded like Cora had some kind of work-up on her already

Cora told him to meet him at the station because he wasn’t comfortable telling Law the information over the phone

“You sound like you know stuff”

“Well” started Cora, typing on his monitor “I know this much”

Cora turned the monitor towards Law and signaled to him to keep quiet

Law couldn’t believe his eyes

_Miss Nico was wanted_?!

“B-But how is this-?!”

“She is but, I don’t understand how an eight year old can be wanted, so when I met her, I ignored it. By the looks of it, she stays in a town long enough for someone to identify her and then she splits. But for her credentials’ sake, she has to use her actual name. It’s actually impressed to have been that qualified as a child though. She can read dead languages too!”

_Cora sounded like he was actually gushing over Robin_

“Shit…Maybe someone has reported her” muttered Law, frowning

“Has she gone missing?” asked Cora, surprised “Nobody at the station reported her though? Usually it’s when the authorities find her that she splits”

“Cora…if anyone d-“

“I’ll tell you right away” reassured Cora, smiling

“She’s apparently Luffy’s friend and means a lot to him and-“

Cora raised his hand, stopping Law right in his tracks

“No need to explain yourself. Go, Luffy probably wants news”

Law smiled, running off and out of the station

 

When he ran out, Luffy was nowhere in sight, but he had a message on his cell from Luffy saying that he was going to check out the main street and to meet him there

Law made his way there clearly and was surprised to spot Sanji talking to a girl with a rather large backpack. The girl in question was clearly a tourist, but what was confusing him at this moment was Sanji

Law frowned sharply when he realized that he couldn’t understand what Sanji was saying to the girl – not because he was too far or anything, but because Sanji was talking in… _German_?

_Since when did Sanji know German?!_

Actually, now that he thought about it – Sanji was another one who didn’t really talk that much about himself – but he knew that he spoke French at home

Suddenly Luffy came out of nowhere and Sanji quickly cut the conversation, gesturing to the girl who walked off, it seems like he was giving her directions and then they had started chatting

“Sanji! Sanji! Robin’s missing!”

“What?! My sweet Robin is missing?!” yelled Sanji, shocked as Law trotted up to them

“Did you find out anything Torao?!” asked Luffy, slightly panicking

“She’s wanted apparently by the World Government. Apparently she has a track record of splitting the minute the authorities get on her scent”

“Robin wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye! She wouldn’t!” stated Luffy, with no room for arguments

“How do you know she’s missing? They said at school that she was gone to a funeral” pointed out Sanji, lighting a cigarette

“We overheard Franky telling some guy that she’s been missing since Monday” explained Law

“And if she’s wanted, he can’t file a police report” added Sanji, looking frustrated “I’ll go looking for her in not-favorable locations!” declared Sanji before running off

Luffy then turned towards Law and Law sighed deeply

“I’ll go stay with Cora and give you news if any come up, okay?”

Luffy frowned nodding, but then he smiled a bit. He leaned up and gave Law a quick kiss

“I have to go meet up with everyone”

“I get it; a member of your gang went missing. It’s only logical”

“I’m gonna dump snow in Ace’s bed tonight for bothering us though, okay?” promised Luffy, determined

Law merely chuckled, leaning down to steal another quick kiss

“Okay Luffy, I hope you find her, okay?”

Luffy grinned brightly at Law

“I know we will! Bye Torao!”

And then Luffy ran off

Law frowned, kicking a patch of snow once Luffy was out of sight, _he would like to have at least one normal date with Luffy!_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas, a good thing ended too soon-! It's gonna be a rather eventful Cora chapter too! So get ready for that! We're heading somewhere fast!


	68. -CORAZON- Justice Is Supposed To Be Blind, Not Crooked (I Want My Rose Coloured Glasses Back Please)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a very active Cora chapter! Put on your seatbelts and let's go for a ride!

 

 

 

“So, good news, Luffy said that Miss Nico would be at school tomorrow“

Cora let out a relieved sound at the news. Even though the newly appointment Mayor Iceburg got shot the other night by none of other than Robin Nico – things were quickly cleared up somehow and Iceburg dropped the charges and publicly apologized for accusing her

_Which was weird, but whatever_

Law had been in an odd mood these last few days since he had come to see him about getting help finding Robin Nico but simply because, well, _he was mostly sulking about it more than anything_

When Cora had asked him about it, Law had stated that he didn’t want to be involved because he was starting to think that things might get a little _messy_

Cora had learned fast enough that that was probably Law’s way of telling Cora that what Luffy was doing wasn’t quite uh… _legal_

_But hadn’t they been out on a date?!_

Law currently was hanging out with Cora at the police station, doodling on a notepad, obviously trying to keep himself distracted. Cora was used to Law falling into more dark moods where he just wanted to be alone – _well, as alone was he allowed himself to be_. So basically he would stick with Cora. Bepo usually would come hang out as well, but today he had an extra karate lesson but he was going to swing by and pick up Law so they could meet up with the others

“Is Luffy okay?”

Law blinked, looking at Cora surprised at the question and smiled a bit, nodding

“Yeah, just, banged up as usual. Zoro told me to keep an eye on him because he might have a concussion”

Cora nodded

“I’m sure you’re good for that”

“Honestly…I’d like to look him over myself, but I trust Chopper”

Cora frowned, surprised

“ _He’s the medic_? That’s the small boy, right?”

Law paused slightly before answering

“He…He has advanced mental capacities due to something he… _ingested_ ”

  _OH!_

Cora paused and then he sighed

“An akumanomi, huh?”

“Yeah, _just like the one you gave me_ ” accused Law, frowning, not impressed

Cora chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head

“Haha, guilty. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the full details”

Law hmphed

“I demand reparations”

“Excuse me?!”

“For lying to me about what you stabbed me with!”

Okay, when he put it that way, _it sounded really bad_

“Alright, alright, what’s your demands, you tyrant, just keep your voice down!”

“I want a snowboard for the sky trip” said Law, crossing his arms and smirking

“That’s a dumb demand; I was going to buy you two new equipment anyways”

_Yeesh, Law always forget how much Cora loves to spoil him and Bepo_

Law frowned sharply

“Oye! No! I want to blackmail you into it!”

“Fine fine, I’m blackmailed, ooooh” teased Cora, throwing his arms up in the air mockingly

 

“Law! Don’t blackmail, Cora! What the hell?!”

Cora and Law turned, looking towards Bepo who just walked in, wearing his gi as he walked up to the two of them

“I’m trying to get us new equipment for the trip, Bepo”

“But Cora already told me he was getting that for us?” replied Bepo confused, making Cora snort

Law frowned sharply at Bepo, making him ‘eep’ and put his head down

“How about this – you guys think about how you want to blackmail me and get back to me?” suggested Cora

Law blinked and then shrugged

“That’s fair, okay” replied Law, grabbing Bepo’s arm “C’mon Bepo, let’s go meet the others”

Law and Bepo left and Cora sighed, lying back on his chair

All this time and Law figured out what he had done anyways; guess there was no point in really hiding it from him

 

Cora soon got back to work, trying to find any hints of what happened last night and quickly found _nothing at all_

 _If Luffy had been up to something – shouldn’t it have been reported_?

Suddenly he felt his cell vibrate. Cora took it out of his pocket and he looked down – a message from Skype?

But then Cora gritted his teeth, scowling

 

_D.DQ_

_Good news, little brother!_

_I might get a chance to see you earlier than I had planned!_

_We should get lunch ;)_

 

It took everything Cora had not to smash his phone right there and then

He was shaking as he typed back, asking Doflamingo what the hell he meant by that

 

_D.DQ_

_I got summoned to Goa by the World Government. I had to rearrange things, but how could I pass this up?_

Cora hissed, _this basically confirmed it!_

_reiichihachi46_

_You’re a Warlord?_

_D.DQ_

_Ahh! You guessed it! Here I was hoping to keep you in the dark a little longer! I need to stop thinking my little brother is lame. But now the question is;_

_How are you going to keep me away from Law now?_

 

Cora jumped out of his seat, ready to reply but saw that Doffy had just signed out

 _That son of a bitch_!!

Cora turned, shoving his phone into his pocket and grabbed the phone on his desk, quickly punching in a number and putting the receiver to his ear

Cora waited for a moment, feeling his blood pressure rising

When nobody answered, he slammed the phone to hang it up and picked it up again, punching in another number

He waited a bit until finally it got answered

“He-“

“Get me Sengoku _now_ ”

“Excuse me?! Sir! You can’t just call and demand to see-“

“ _You listen to me and you listen good_. You tell Sengoku that it’s his son and that he needs to talk to him right away! You understand me?!”

The person on the line mumbled a yes and Cora could hear him running away. He was feeling a bit bad, but right now he was so furious that he was not going to stand for anything stopping him from finally having this goddamn conversation

Soon enough, the other line was picked up

“Since when do you make demands?!” barked Sengoku, clearly mad

“Since you gave a total psychopath like my brother a post in the Warlord program!”

Sengoku was completely silent from the other end for a moment and then Cora heard a loud sigh

“Get to the airport. I’ll have a plane ready for you”

“Excuse me?! I’m in the middle of work! Do you really think I can just leave my work place because you want me to go gallivanting on a plane?!”

Suddenly the door of Smoker’s office opened and Smoker came out looking very perplexed, holding a piece of paper

“Trafalgar! Why the fuck was I just emailed a summons from the World Government telling me to dismiss you for the day?!”

Cora blinked, looking at Smoker in shock

“…I’ll see you in a couple of hours”

And promptly hung up

 

Cora groaned, going through his bag to make sure he had grabbed all the appropriate folders. If he was going to confront Sengoku, he was going to be ready! He was a bit annoyed that he didn’t have anything to get changed into, but it wasn’t like he was expecting to fly today!

He then took his phone, looking out the window as the landscape out the window as the cab kept driving. He didn’t feel like paying for parking at the airport right now

Cora took his cellphone and quickly texted Bepo and Law, letting them know that he won’t be home tonight due to sudden business but that he would explain once he got back. After he quickly wired some money into Bepo’s bank account from his phone, enabling them to buy themselves supper

_This was such a pain in the ass_

Once Cora got to the airport, two men dressed in black approached his cab and quickly paid for his fare and escorted him to a private area of the airport. Cora sighed, not enjoying the attention this was giving him from everyone else in the airport

“Real discreet, guys” hissed Cora, frowning, not in the mood to play games

Cora reviewed his notes once he was in the private jet, it soon taking off. Even though Sengoku said that he would get him a flight, he can’t say he was expecting to be literally the only person on board. Soon enough though, one of the men dressed in the black suit approached him and handed him a package

“Sengoku said you would appreciate a change of clothes”

Cora blinked, taking the package and heading off into the bathroom. When he opened it, he frowned

Ah. _His old suit._

Cora huffed as he made his way out of the bathroom, now completely decked in his World Government suit. Cora stomped to this seat, plopping down in it, crossing his arms, thankful that at least the flight to the private island of Marineford would be quick because he could not be more annoyed right now

 

Once he arrived inside of Marineford through the private landing strip, Cora stormed off, out of the plane and quickly made his way to Sengoku’s office. Once there, he banged on the door, arms crossed as it swung open

Apparently Garp was the one greeting him at the door

“Rosinante!”

“Garp, as lovely as it is to see you, I have to have a word with Sengoku in there” said Cora with a strained voice

“Yeesh! Apparently you’re also in a mood! The old goat back there was just kicking me out!”

“GET OUT, GARP” bellowed Sengoku from inside the office

Garp jumped slightly, walking past Cora and down the hall as Cora walked in, closing and locking the door behind him

“How did you find out?” asked Sengoku, rubbing his brow as Cora walked in

“Doflamingo told me today via skype that he had been summoned to Goa. I asked him point blank if he was a Warlord and he said yes”

Cora tried to remain calm as he walked up to Sengoku’s desk, but lost it when he got close enough and slammed his fist down on the desk

“How could you?!  You directly invited Doflamingo to Goa?! You put Law and Bepo’s lives in danger!”

Sengoku sighed loudly, rubbing his brow

“It isn’t like that Rosinante. I was going to invite you and those boys to spend the holidays in Japan to keep you all away from him. I thought if I could keep it quiet, you wouldn’t know that Doflamingo was coming to Goa. The orders came from higher than me – you know this, Rosinante” explained Sengoku

Cora blinked, and then frowned sharply

“You planned on keeping Doflamingo’s presence a secret from the police as well? Because otherwise I would have found out anyways!”

“Yes. To be honest, I have limited faith in the police department of Goa because everything seems to be happening under your noses”

“Mind elaborating on that?” Cora tried to think of what Sengoku could possibly be talking about

“Well, where do I begin? Many of the Warlords in Goa have been taken down and the other night, this gang called the Strawhats declared war on the World Government and took down my Cipher Pol agents I had placed in Goa!” roared Sengoku, fist clenched on top of the desk, Cora could see his face was all red

_Holy shit, Luffy_

Cora quietly sat down in the chair facing the desk, crossing his arms and lifted a brow

“How do you expect me to be upset that a group of vigilantes is taking down gangs and crooked politicians?” honestly asked Cora

Like, yeah, he was worried about Luffy, but it didn’t sound like Luffy and his friends were doing anything bad… _per say_

He didn’t want to know the details, honestly

“As much as I don’t trust the Warlords, I can’t take the chance of our biggest operation of failing. I need the Warlords for this and I need you to make sure that you keep the cops out of it” explained Sengoku, relaxing and straightening himself out

Cora looked at Sengoku completely surprised

He was not expecting this!

“Uh, I’m just an officer. It’s the Captain that makes the calls, and if you think Smoker is going to ignore a huge gathering of gang leaders, I don’t think you know him enough” pointed out Cora

“I’ll give you back your World Government Agent status and promote your rank to Rear Admiral so you outrank the Captain” offered Sengoku

_Read Admiral?!_

“That’s-! You honestly think Smoker will listen to me because of my rank? I know they used to call him the Stray Dog because he did what he wanted and couldn’t be controlled and _you think a rank will convince him otherwise_?”

Sengoku growled, clearly displease as he stood up, slamming his hands on the desk

“I was against his relocation to Goa! I tried to get them to push it until next year because he does amazing work but like you said he’s uncontrollable!”

Cora raised a brow

_Until next year?_

Where they planning on striking before then?

“Honestly, I admire the Captain’s sense of justice. I’m honestly surprised he left the World Government Marines with such a strong sense of justice like that”

Cora wasn’t lying; the Captain was probably the most honorable man he knew

“He didn’t leave the forces, Rosinante. He was dismissed for refusing orders, causing his own men to refuse orders as well. He was court marshalled and stripped of everything and then dismissed” explained Sengoku, calming down and taking a seat at his desk once more

Cora blinked, not expecting that – _he was dismissed?!_

“What kind of orders did he refuse?”

Sengoku then shook his head

“I can’t disclose that, Rosinante”

Cora shrugged slightly, fair enough

“So, Japan? Please? For my peace of mind?” asked Sengoku, now in a much calmer voice, but Cora could distinctively hear the fear and worry in his voice

Cora know this wasn’t happening, but he needed to play along

“I’ll have to think about it. This isn’t just my decision, it’s also the boys. They already have a trip planned with some friends, I don’t want to take them away from that” explained Cora

Sengoku nodded, rubbing his brow, closing his eyes

“Please get back to me quickly, Rosinante. I can’t stand the idea of you being in danger once more because of me”

 

“Welcome home, Cora!”

Cora blinked, looking up from his daze at a smiling Bepo and Law

_He wasn’t even sure how he got back honestly_

After the conversation with Sengoku, he had to go handle things and then was quickly put on a plane right back to Goa and into a cab. Now it was late, and both of the boys should be in bed because they had school tomorrow – but Cora had no idea why he didn’t expect them staying up to wait for him

He’s not even sure he had time to really muddle everything

“So, where the hell did you go? And what’s with the monkey suit?” asked Law, curled up under a blanket on the couch, wearing his black pyjamas

_Right – He was still wearing his uniform and not his police one_

“Uh…Marineford”

Both Bepo and Law looked at Cora absolutely shocked

“Why the hell did you go there!?” asked Bepo

“Sengoku wanted to talk to me privately, so he had a plane sent for me”

“Good use of tax money” snarked Law, frowning

Cora blinked and then looked at Law, frowning

“ _Your boyfriend declared war on the World Government_?”

Law looked sheepish as he smiled nervously

“Ah, you found out”

Cora rolled his eyes and plopped down onto the other end of the couch

“The fuck is this?! Are you wearing a World Government Marine uniform?!” asked Law, sitting up and whacking the epaulettes on the coat hanging off his shoulders – _guess he just noticed the back of the coat_

“I didn’t have anything else to wear so they sent this over” explained Cora, waving his hand “I just forgot to take it off because I was tired”

“ _You should burn it_ ” hissed Law, sitting back down in his pile of blankets

“Don’t deflect!! Luffy and his gang drew the attention of the World Government!! What the hell happened?!”

Law sighed

“I don’t know much details. Luffy’s not one for them, but if I understand right, it was the World Government who blackmailed Robin into coming with them and to shoot Iceburg because she could read some dead language? Anyways, they got her out and apparently one of the…Pigeon guy? Anyways, he said that they were declaring war on the World Government by attacking them, so Luffy and his gang and this guy called…Sogeking? Anyways, they burned the World Government flag at Innes Lobby”

Cora looked at Law shocked, not sure what to even say to all of that

“The World Government Headquarters in the next town over?! _They set the flag on fire_?!”

Law nodded

“Yeah, Luffy said they then beat up the guys who hurt Robin and brought her back home and Iceburg apologized to Robin and stuff”

“Law, that’s insane” declared Cora, not even sure where to begin with all of that

_Yeah, he didn’t want to know what Luffy was up to_

“What about you? Running out like that to fly off to meet Sengoku? What’s up with that?” asked Law as Bepo quietly sat on the ground besides Law

“Doflamingo told me he was summoned to Goa for Warlord purposes. I called Sengoku and demanded an explanation. Basically I think they’re going to attack Ace and take advantage of the fact that the Whitebeards will come get him to attack them and take both down at once. That’s my theory anyways. I don’t see any other reason the World Government would need so many high hitters at the same time” explained Cora, running his hand through his hair

It was the only sensible explanation for this whole mess

“Doflamingo is coming?! Here?!”

“ _But just Doflamingo_ ” stressed Cora, waving his hand “You’re never allowed to bring the rest of your gang to a Warlord summonings…I think. I don’t know honestly, but if I remember the report I read”

“Is Sengoku crazy?!” blurted out Bepo, but then he bowed his head “I’m sorry for insulting your father figure, Cora”

Cora laughed softly

“Don’t worry, I was ready to say much worst to his face! But yeah, that’s what I asked him too. I was furious that he was bringing so much danger to you two. Apparently Sengoku wants to fly us over to Japan during the holidays to keep us out of this”

“ _Hard pass_ ” said Law, frowning from his now blanket cocoon “I don’t want jack shit from that man”

“Same!” said Bepo in solidarity with Law

Cora laughed again, leaning forward to ruffle both their heads

“I thought so – I wasn’t going to agree to it anyways. With what he said, I’m sure they’re going to attack Ace before the New Year. Speaking of, Law, I’m going to need you to keep Luffy as far away during that period”

“We have the skip trip planned, remember? We won’t be coming back until January 2nd” pointed out Law

Cora sighed in relief

“Right, the ski trip”

Cora then paused, his expression growing serious

“Law, Bepo, listen. We’re going to have to set up an alternative in case anything happens to me. Doflamingo told me that he wanted to see me – which means he’s probably going to try and finish the job. There’s no guarantee that he won’t succeed. You know how he is, Law. There’s a chance I might not see next year if he’s in town”

Law frowned sharply, looking down and nodded, clearly agreeing

Bepo whined softly

“Cora...”

“We have to be realistic about this Bepo” said Cora, smiling softly “You’re not kids anymore; I can’t lie to you about this”

“Can we talk about this tomorrow” asked Law, sitting up “It’s late”

Cora blinked and then looked at the clock – holy shit, it was nearly 1am!

“Ack!” yelled Cora, suddenly getting up, tripping on the corner of the coffee table and hitting the ground

“CORA?!” yelled both Law and Bepo as they stood up

“Urgh, I’m fine, just go to bed! You have school tomorrow! School!” said Cora as he sat up, groaning

Law and Bepo nodded and quietly made their way up the stairs

“You go to bed too” said Law, from on top of the stair case before they disappeared into Bepo’s bedroom

Cora smiled softly in their direction

“I love you boys! Goodnight!”

“We love you too, Cora! Goodnight!” replied the two from inside of the bedroom

 

Cora waited a moment until they were well in bed before he crumpled down, laying on his back on the living room floor

He was going to miss his quiet suburban life

Cora then rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his new World Government ID, staring at it

He hoped he made the right decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have it! 
> 
> Also the calendar is MORE OR LESS done? Basically I'll add to it as the chapters get published, but it's only November for now, I'll have to backtrack to do the other ones and it might take me a little longer! But here's the link! (I know there's other tabs but don't click them, they lead to the template I used dhlkskdhl)
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B51lZL_ARHCrRXNvT0k2aUlCN0U


	69. -ACE- My Boyfriend’s Back And You’re Gonna Get In Trouble! (No Seriously, He Wants To Cave Your Face In)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's now time to go back to Ace! Things are brewing for sure - but hopefully, things won't get too bad

 

 

 

“And when you’re rubbing the knots out on his back, slowly lean in, letting your bare chest touch his back for just a brief second, teasing him“

Ace was furiously writing down notes and make crude sketches, trying to draw exactly what he was being taught in front of him. Izo was dressed in a loosely tied kimono that exposed his chest, his hair in a loose braid on the side, as he showed Ace how to give a sensual massage. They had set up in an empty room in the Whitebeard mansion using a few mats they had from the training room so that they were at the same level from each other. Izo currently was straddling Thatch’s back, who graciously volunteered to be the person Izo gave the massage to

Thatch claimed it was because his back had been hurting for a while so it was a win-win, _but Ace also thought that he had ulterior motives_. Either way, it was helping him

Things had been… _tense_ between him and the Captain

It had been over a week, nearing on two since they had their fight, but things hasn’t exactly gone back to normal. It wasn’t that they were fighting or angry, they just seemed…unsure around each other. Like they lost that intimacy they had. So when he had brought it up with Izo, the other had recommended that they reconnected and brought back the intimacy. And for that, he recommended a sensual massage

So here they were

Izo had showed him how to set the mood with the low lights, the body oils, which scents and oils were better for relaxation ( _and which could double as lube and which could not, thanks Izo!_ ) and then started to show Ace how to do it, and which way to move himself to be as sensual as possible

“You must tease him, make him crave you. Your intention isn’t to hump his back like an animal in heat. Soft touches, run your finger gently down his spine as you’re working your way back to his lower back” explained Izo, making Thatch groan as he kept working out the knots

“That feels fucking _amazing,_ Izo”

Izo chuckled softly

“I’m a pro, what can I tell you?”

 

Suddenly the door opened and Marco popped his head into the room, frowning sharply

“What the fucking hell is going on here?”

“Ace is indulging in voyeurism” teased Izo, making Thatch laugh

“You know me, I just love to watch” replied Ace, cocking his eyebrows as Marco rolled his eyes

“Real cute guys. Honestly, what are you guys up to?”

Ace blinked, surprised – Marco usually didn’t ask point blank, something must be up

“I’m just showing Ace how to give a sensual massage, that’s all. He wanted more tricks up his sleeve to impress his beau” explained Izo, chuckling as he resumed massaging Thatch’s back

“And Thatch is the one getting the massage because-?”

Thatch stuck out his tongue at Marco

“Because I volunteered- you jealous?”

Marco sighed loudly and theatrically

“Kinda yeah, my back is killing me”

Everyone laughed at that

“I’m sorry Marco-! I’ll do you next, okay?” offered Izo

Marco chuckled, walking up to the trio and promptly sat down on the floor besides Ace

“Naw, I’m teasing, but I might bank it if you don’t mind”

“No problem, boss-!” said Izo, giving Marco the OK signal

“You looked pretty stressed out Marco, what’s up?” asked Ace, frowning

“Just…a lot of shit going on. By the way, your brother declared war on the World Government”

Ace just felt all the blood escape his face

“ _WHAT?!”_

“Oh shit” said Thatch as Izo remained silent

“Yeah, so your brother started a gang called The Strawhats and has been basically taking down heavy hitter one by one, like Arlong’s, the Black Cat gang and so on, to name a few. Well, the other week, has it been a week? Anyways, he decided and his gang, to take down the Cipher Pol agents that had been planted in the city and went to Innes Lobby and set their flag on fire. If I understand correctly, they had taken possession of Robin Nico and Luffy wasn’t having any of it. So they beat up the agents. So yeah. Oh, and last night they beat the shit out of Moriah Gekko, you know, horror movie producer, warlord and leader of the Thriller Bark gang. So, yeah”

Ace stared at Marco, not even sure how to process the information that was being given to him

On one hand, h _e was furious_

The one goddamn thing he had asked his brother not to do _– and yet he did it_

_On the other hand, he was so goddamn proud_

“Marco, I think you just broke Ace and that isn’t very nice” chided Izo, making Thatch snort and cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing

“I want to be so fucking mad at him, but holy shit, _it’s impressive as hell_ ” admitted Ace, making the others laugh

“Isn’t it? He also beat the shit out of Eneru before he bailed! Your little brother is something” said Marco, smiling slightly

Ace sighed, rubbing his brow

“Fuck though, as if the Captain had enough to deal with me doing this shit though, now my brother?”

“Wait until he finds out your other brother is a terrorist!” pointed out Marco, making Izo and Thatch laugh and Ace groan even harder

“Why, WHY, did you have to remind me of that?!”

“You’re going to have a talk with him, right? Luffy I mean, not the Captain. I’m going to have to ask you to keep this information away from the Captain” asked Marco

Ace sighed

“Honestly I already suspected that something was up, but this basically confirms it. Luffy’s been getting pretty beaten up lately and there’s no way he’s picking fights with small time people with the injuries he’s getting. I guess I’m kinda mad that he kept it a secret”

Honesty was always the biggest thing between the three brothers, but on the other hand, Ace knew that Luffy feared his wrath

“Aww Ace, cut him some slack. You know he just didn’t want to disappoint you” pointed out Izo

“Yeah, your little bro admires you a lot, and it’s like, the one thing you asked him not to do, so of course he’s gonna feel kinda bad about doing this to you”  added Thatch

Ace stuck out his tongue at both of them, pretending to be annoyed, making them laugh again

_They did have a point though…_

“Well, I have to get going; I have things to figure out”

“Is it about the mission on the 12th?” asked Thatch before letting out another groan

“Yeah, Teach really wants to be on any of the raids for some reason. But I don’t like crossing members over from other divisions and that’s your division on that night”

“Aww, I’ll take him, it’s fine with me. How about it, Ace? Do you mind lending me Teach for a night?”

Ace blinked, of course he didn’t – _Teach creeped him out_

But something felt… _wrong_ about this request

_Meh, he was probably overthinking it_

“Of course there’s no problem! Take him if he wants to!”

“There! Problem solved! See Marco? Sometimes, you just gotta delegate to us, you know? We can offer you advice and such!” stated Thatch, arching his back a bit “Alright Izo, off you go! It’s almost getting too late for you to be able to brush out your hair before bed”

“Oh-! You have a point” said Izo as he hopped off of Thatch’s back and then offered his hand to the other

Ace smiled at the two, and then Marco grabbed his arm

“C’mon Ace, let’s go talk while these two clean up the room” suggested Marco as he and Ace skipped out of the room

 

“Marco, we can’t leave them unsupervised, _that’s how babies are made_!”

Marco laughed brightly as he went down the stairs with Ace as they headed into the kitchen

“ _Oh my god, Ace, shut up_! You’re giving them waaayy too much credit right now. They haven’t even realized it yet, jeez”

Ace chuckled softly, looking back

“But they like each other so much! It’s so cuuuute”

“Speaking of – sexy massage lessons?” asked Marco, raising a brow as he walked into the kitchen and sat on the island in the middle of the kitchen. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the island and took a huge bite out of it

“Does it scream desperate?” asked Ace, biting his lip, feeling a little embarrassed

“Hmm, just a little. But haven’t things gotten any better between you two?”

“Well” started Ace, scratching the back of his head “It’s more like, things haven’t gotten back to normal. We’re just _kinda_ a bit on eggshells right now”

“Well, duh. The major issue with your relationship came into light and you’re both not dumbasses so it’s not like you can ignore it now like you used to” said Marco as he took another bite of the apple

“ _Huh_?”

“C’mon Ace, you know this relationship actually working out long-term is nearly impossible, right? He’s a freaking cop, and a straight and narrow one, and you’re in a gang. The only way for this to really work is for you to quit the gang or for him to quit the force. Basically one of you has to drop something that’s really important to you – which isn’t something that can be asked of so early on in a relationship, you know?” explained Marco

Ace felt his heart drop in his stomach

“Yeah…I guess so…Hey! I thought you supported this!”

“ _I never said that_. Pop said he was fine with it so I went along with it. I just want you to be happy, Ace but I’m just seeing choppy waters ahead”

But then Ace perked up happily

“He did quit the Marines!”

Marco rolled his eyes

“ _Oh my god Ace_ , you’re not worth dropping a career for like two months in. No offense! Unless, you’re like _, incredible in bed_ ”

“Maybe I am! You don’t know! He could do another job! Why, I think he’d be a great high school principal!”

“You just want to be fucked on the principal’s desk! God, you and your weird teacher fetish!” accused Marco

“Hey hey hey! Don’t judge me! My boyfriend is fucking hot! He would be amazingly hot as- oooh, how about a gym coach? Wearing sweats and no shirt and hmmm, I’d join a sport team for that! Like if he was the coach for the wrestling team and he’d show me all these holds and -”

“Holy shit Ace, don’t get hard in the kitchen. _Go see your boyfriend and go fantasize with him_ ”

“Man, it wouldn’t be that hard to break into the school? Maybe if he’s in a really good mood he’ll come with me and-“

 

“ _Ace has a boyfriend?”_

Ace and Marco both stopped and turned to look at who had just entered the room and Ace froze

_It was fucking Teach_!

And he didn’t look happy. If anything, he looked like he was a mix of furious and shocked. Ace instantly felt nauseous

“Oh, Teach, didn’t see you come in. So Thatch said he had no problems with you joining the mission on the 12th” reported Marco, taking another bite of his apple

“ _Ace has a boyfriend_?” repeated Teach, seeming shocked and pressing the question

“Uh…yeah. We’ve been together for a few months now” explained Ace, feeling uncomfortable

“What?! How come I wasn’t informed?” asked Teach, looking at Marco for an explanation

_Why the fuck was he so mad about this!?  This isn’t any of his business!_

Marco merely shrugged his shoulders

“I don’t see how that’s relevant to you in any way, really. I don’t report on everyone else’s going on’s” explained Marco

“But he’s my commander! I should know if he’s seeing someone!” roared Teach

Ace was really uncomfortable right now – why _the hell was he getting so mad?_!

“Sorry Teach, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just trying to keep it on the down-lo, you know? It’s not like he’s part of the gang or anything”  offered Ace, trying to diffuse the tension in the room

“Oh yeah? Then who is he? I’d like to meet him. Gotta make sure he’s worth your time, you know” said Teach, making the hairs on Ace’s arm stand on end – _was that a threat?!_

“ _He’s Pop’s biological son so clearly he’s worth Ace’s time_. He made up with Pops a while back and the two hit it off, that’s all” stated Marco with no room for arguments

Ace was confused as to why Marco even brought that up until he saw that Teach clearly back down

_Of course! Nobody would try to start shit with Pop’s biological son! Especially not Teach-_

“Hmph, I still would like to meet him! See what kind of man he really is! Ace isn’t just anybody, you know! He deserves someone worthy of his time! Ace is a real special person!”

“Uh thanks?” said Ace, raising a brow at the comment

“Yeah yeah, of course. Why are you here tonight anyways? I thought you’d be at the Casino?”

“Naw, that damn place ran me dry again! Figured I’d sleep here tonight though”

_Oh fuck no_!

 “Oops! That’s my phone, I gotta get going!” declared Ace, taking out his phone from his pocket, pretending it just vibrated

“Alright Ace, have fun tonight”

“Where’s Ace going?!”

“I have plans! With my bo-brothers! My brothers! You know how it is! Sabo’s leaving for a trip soon, so we’re doing early Christmas! Yeah! So, I gotta go! Bye Marco! Bye Teach! Say thank you to Izo for his help earlier!”

And Ace bolted out of the room

 

“What the fuck was that?!” yelled Ace as he sat in the park, wondering what the hell he was going to do now!

Ace was supposed to stay over himself because Dadan and the others were pulling a job and they told him to make himself scarce

He’d actually go see his brothers but Sabo was actually working a job tonight himself. The Army is doing a lot of prep before they go do their big overseas mission. The only reason that Ace mentioned Sabo was because Teach knew the other was the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army and he wasn’t dumb enough to go confront Sabo. Luffy was out tonight as well, hanging out with Zoro

The Captain was currently at work too…but he didn’t feel too right bothering him at work right now

Then Ace paused

_Hopefully he wouldn’t mind_

 

Ace quickly ran over to the Captain’s place. He hoped that once Ace explained himself that the other wouldn’t mind. Ace unlocked the door and carefully went in. Even though the Captain was at work and told him it was okay if he did this…he just…didn’t feel sure

_Especially not after what Marco told him_

Ace quickly took care of Justice and plopped himself on the couch, bringing his knees up as Justice joined him on the couch, laying her head in Ace’s lap

“I don’t know what to do, girl. I love your master so much, but I love Pops too. I could never leave Pops, but I don’t want to leave your master to – what would you do?”

Justice blinked, looking at Ace confused before leaning in and licking Ace’s cheek, making him laugh

“Man, some people have all the solutions, huh girl?”

But then he sighed, scratching Justice behind the ear

“Can I tell you a secret, Justice? I started looking over those college pamphlets and you know what? I think I’d be really cool to be a teacher. I think I’d really enjoy that and I could probably scrounge the money together if I tried and there are bursaries and scholarships. I think a poor orphan is a good sob story for scholarships too – _but I’m a thug_. Who would want someone like me like a teacher? And the second my criminal past comes out, I’m done. So, what’s the point, girl?”

Justice merely whined softly, licking Ace’s cheek again, making Ace chuckle softly

“Good evening”

Ace jumped slightly, turning around to see Smoker behind the couch, looking at him

“W-What are you doing here?”

“I walked in maybe a few moments after you did. But you went outside to get Justice and I went to get changed. How come you ran to the house?”

Ace paused, looking at Smoker horrified – _that meant he heard everything_!

“C-Chase, listen, about what I just said”

Smoker sighed as he sat down on the couch besides Ace, on the other side of Justice

“Relax Ace. I’m not going to ask you to leave the old man’s gang. But you’re right, if any school board heard about your past or if you get a criminal record, you can kiss that goodbye”

Ace paused slightly, smiling shyly

“So…you think me becoming a teacher is a good idea though?”

“Honestly? I think it’s fantastic. You’d have the chops for it, for sure and people can easily relate to you. You’re also self-disciplined and hardworking, which is always a good thing for teachers. And your life experience makes it that people from all walks of life will find a common ally in you. But your gang activities can very well shoot that in the foot”

_As well as destroy our relationship_

“Ah…well, thank you” said Ace shyly, scratching the back of his head “Sorry about breaking in”

“It’s not breaking in if you have the key and I told you, you were allowed, Ace. But I didn’t like how I saw you come in though. You looked like you were panicking and stressed out”

Ace sighed loudly, rubbing his face

“There’s a guy that’s part of the gang…and he kinda makes me… _super uncomfortable_. And tonight he got super mad when he found out that I had a boyfriend and I just had to get out of there!” explained Ace, hugging himself, frowning as he shivered

“ _Can you do anything about him_?” asked Smoker, Ace was surprised to see him almost snarling around his cigar

“Naw, he’s been in the gang a really long time. Shit, when Marco said it was ‘Pop’s son’ that I was dating, he seemed to know exactly who you were! Like, you existing, not that you’re the chief of police or anything. It’s the only reason he backed off. Because he was insisting on meeting you  to make sure you were good enough for me or some shit! He was super mad that we hadn’t told him that I had a boyfriend!”

“He did? What’s his name?” asked Smoker, frowning

“Uh, Teach Marshall?”

“ _That scumbag_?! He’s still around?!” Ace blinked, shocked at Smoker’s declaration

“Yeah, and he’s in my division and when he gets drunk, which is often, he gets all handsy with me and goes on and on about how he’d love to start a gang with me and that together we’d be amazing and uurghh, it just, creeps me out” admitted Ace

Smoker reached past Justice that was between them and took Ace’s hand in his, giving him a squeeze

“If he tries anything, I’ll clock him. I don’t give a shit if he’s the old man’s gang. You have to play nice, _I sure don’t fucking have to_ ”

Ace chuckled softly, giving the hand a squeeze back

“Nice to know you’ll beat him up for me. But be careful, he did a really number on Shank’s face back in the day”

“Hm, that’s right. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll teach that piece of shit to keep his hands to himself”

Ace smiled softly, tugging Smoker’s hand slightly, pulling him in as Ace leaned in forward to meet Smoker in the middle, with Justice crouching between them as they shared a kiss

Usually Ace would be riled up at anybody talking about fighting someone for him – he wasn’t a damsel in distress, he could handle himself just fine! But this protective streak the Captain had was kinda… _really hot_

“Staying over?” asked Smoker as they broke apart, Ace smiled brightly

“Of course! It’s hard to say no when a handsome man said he’d beat up someone for you – how did you know that was the way to my heart?” teased Ace

“Hmph, I think I know you by now. And frankly I’d kick his face in just for the hell of it. C’mon, it’s getting late”

Ace grinned, happily following Smoker off the couch and up to his room, Justice trotting along behind them

Maybe he didn’t need sexy massages after all-!

 

Ace lay awake in Smoker’s bed

It was probably one of the most annoying things about his narcolepsy is that it often more than not, kept him awake during the night. More often than not, especially with the Captain, Ace would only fall asleep for a bit, and then when the other was asleep, Ace would wake up

Ace kinda loved these moments honestly

The world was nice and quiet; there was nobody to stop him from looking at Smoker as much as he wanted. Look at the curve of the man’s jaw, how he looked almost relaxed in his sleep but once in a while would furrow his brow. Ace would carefully run his fingers through the other’s hand, enjoying the fact that he simply could

Right now, his entire body ached

Apparently Smoker’s protective streak carried off into the bedroom. While the Captain had basically, well _, ravished him_ , Ace found himself with some rather obvious love marks scattered on his neck and the curve of his shoulders. _Where people would see._   But he didn’t mind at all, but it also pained him slightly because as more time went by, Ace could hear in his head echoing a ticking clock

Deep down, he knew Marco was right – Unless there was some major changes, they couldn’t last

Ace was just really lost at what to do

Maybe he didn’t deserve this

Honestly, it was dumb of him to think he deserved to be happily in love like this

It was bound to end eventually

Ace had never wanted time to stop more than now

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see my shout-out to the AU that originally got me interested into MokuMera/SmoAce??
> 
> Ahh, it was so long ago! I was a wee-babe in middle school I think! 
> 
> On that note, Happy 20th Anniversary to One Piece!!


	70. -LAW- When It’s Time To Reveal All (Can It Not Be Right Now Though?!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone rec me or something? I feel like I'm getting more traffic than usual! That said! Hello new and old readers! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> That said - YOU ALL READY FOR A CHAPTER WHERE WE LEARN A BUNCH OF STUFF? HERE WE GO!

 

 

“I think it’s as clean as it’s gonna get…“

Law frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave the living room another long look over. He had vacuumed, he had dusted everything, the kitchen was all cleaned, and basically every room was done. _Minus of course, Cora’s room._ But Law couldn’t think of a single situation that would lead to him taking Luffy to Cora’s room

He was beyond nervous, Luffy was coming over to binge a new Netflix series together. Bepo was out with Nami and the rest of the Navigation club to go map out some part of the Mt Corvo forest ( _with apparently Ace’s explicit permission, which holy shit dude, you don’t own the fucking forest_ )

Law _might_ still be a bit mad from what happened the other week during their date

At least he knows that he won’t be bothered by either Bepo or Cora during this date because Cora was also gone to work, but speaking of Cora…

The other had been a little _odd_ … since he came back from his impromptu trip to Marineford. He has been working non-stop using a laptop that Law didn’t recognize. And while he was looking up stuff, Cora was writing notes on paper. That bit didn’t surprise Law though – _Cora always preferred to write important things down_ – claiming that it helped him remember it better but also because letters can be burned and letters can’t be hacked. But it was odd to see him working so hard off the job and Law really wished he would tell him _what the hell was going on_

 

The sound of the doorbell knocked Law out of his thoughts and Law quickly made his way to the door. But once he got to the door, he suddenly got really embarrassed at his enthusiasm

_God he was such a nerd_

 He took a deep breath but before he could open the door, the sound of the doorbell got more and more insistent, surprising Law who quickly opened the door to a brightly smiling Luffy

“Toroa!”

Luffy quickly hugged him and Law hugged back, taking a moment to hold Luffy against him, slightly knocking over his familiar straw hat. Law closed his eyes, slowly breathing in Luffy’s scent

When they pulled apart, he smiled at Luffy, taking his hand and bringing him in

“I have everything ready for us”

“Yeah? I’m so excited to watch this series! Usopp said it was super cool and really exciting!” said Luffy as they made their way to the couch

“Umm…I made us some snacks, so I’m gonna go get it now. So take a seat” offered Law as Luffy plopped down on the couch

Law went to the kitchen to grab the platters of food he had prepared and the bottles of soda and juice and quickly brought them to the living room on a tray, with two glasses

Afterwards Law quickly set the TV to Netflix and plopped down himself on the couch as he loaded up the show

“I heard it was really good too” admitted Law, but the end came out a little high because Luffy had shifted to cuddle right up to Law, making Law blush

“Me too! This is going to be so fun!”

 

Sorry Netflix, _they weren’t watching anymore_

Luffy was sprawled on his back on the couch; his shirt had started to ride up his stomach. But mostly it was due to Law’s hand under Luffy’s shirt, feeling the other’s chest.  The two had barely taken a breath of air since they started sharing deep kisses. Luffy had one hand in Law’s hair, pulling him in closer while the other hand was tracing his spine, also pulling Law in closer. Luffy was entangled around Law, his legs wrapped around Law’s waist as the two moved together, slowly rocking back and forth on the couch. Law groaned softly, his tongue entering Luffy’s mouth, Luffy merely moaned in reply, greedily accepting it. They slowed down their kisses slightly as their movement sped up slowly and surely – revelling in each other’s presence

Law shifted slightly, breaking apart for a moment, as Luffy removed Law’s shirt and threw it to the side. Law smiled warmly at Luffy who grinned back and they restarted kissing, arms thrown around each other. Law had started to remove Luffy’s tank top when suddenly the front door slammed open, making both of them jump

“Law! Law! I need to talk to you and L-“

Law sat up suddenly, making Luffy fall backwards but thankfully he managed to grab onto Law’s neck, holding himself up

Law turned and glared darkly at Cora who had just stumbled into the living room, ignoring the scene in front of him

“ _Aren’t you supposed to be at work?!”_ yelled Law, his face entirely red from rage as he suddenly realized his very obvious lack of shirt

“L-Law! Listen! This is important!” said Cora, huffing, clearly trying to catch his breath

“We were in the fucking middle of something!!” roared Law, beyond frustrated that _twice now_ he and Luffy were stopped

“I get that! Law! Luffy! I’m really sorry! But this just came in and I figured you should see it!” explained Cora as he took out that goddamn laptop again and set it down on the coffee table – which was the only thing preventing Law from pummeling Cora right now. Law took the moment though to lean over and grab his discarded shirt, quickly putting it back on

Cora quickly woke up his laptop and turned it to face Law and Luffy. Suddenly Law was shown what seemed to be a detailed report with a really bad drawing of apparently… _Sanji?_

“HAHAHA!! That thing looks so ugly!!” said Luffy, howling as he pointed to the picture

“Urgh yeah, they uh, didn’t quite get Sanji’s looks, but look what it says! _It’s a missing child report_! It was sent out this morning!”

“Uh…that makes no sense! I came from the Baratie! Sanji and everyone had lunch together there! Sanji’s old man was totally there too! So I don’t know why he’d file a missing child report, that’s kinda weird” replied Luffy, looking confused as he tipped his head

_Luffy looked really cute with his hair all messy like that, goddamn Cora!_

Cora frowned, his expression getting serious as he stared right at Luffy

“Luffy. Do you know anything about Sanji’s biological parents?”

“Huh? Isn’t the old man his dad?” asked Luffy, genuinely surprised

“Zeff? No, not at all. Sanji was adopted, I have his record here. He was only officially adopted by Zeff when he was around 8 years old. Before that, we have nothing minus the report that just came in” explained Cora as he turned around the laptop and typed something real quick and then turned it around again to show them

Law stared at it completely shocked

It was a full profile on Sanji – well, full enough, it was just missing key information

_His last name is Vinsmoke?!_

“Cora what the fuck is this?!”

“Uh, it’s Sanji’s World Government profile”

“ _Why does he have one of those?!”_

“Because he’s wanted now” admitted Cora, sighing

Law stared at the laptop, not sure how to handle the information in front of him. _Why was Sanji wanted?!_

_Wait…Vinsmoke? That told him something…_

“Do I have one?” asked Luffy, somehow… _excited to know?!_

“You sure do” said Cora dejected as he turned the laptop again, and quickly showed Luffy and Law that Luffy did, indeed, have a wanted profile

“Oh wow! What’s that money amount under my name?” asked Luffy, all excited

“ _Your bounty_ ”

“Whoah! They want a lot for me! 300,000,000$? That’s a lot!” expressed Luffy, laughing, proud of himself

“People still have bounties?” asked Law, raising a brow

“Nngh, it’s complicated and that’s the best way to explain it. It’s like your bail bond” explained Cora, but then he shook his head

“Regardless! Luffy! Why the hell did you go after Moriah?” asked Cora, slamming his fist down on the table

Law immediately clamped his hand over Luffy’s mouth, not letting him answer

“First, I want to know why you’re asking all these questions and how the hell did you get these profiles?! Those don’t look like district police records” snapped Law

Cora sighed

“So, remember how I said that Sengoku offered me a much higher rank?”

“Yeah”

“Well I accepted it” admitted Cora, sighing

“ _What?!_ That means you’re going to try and stop Smoker from-“ Law paused instantly, looking towards Luffy who was looking at him confused

“ _I’m not doing that_ , jeez.  A freaking hurricane wouldn’t stop Chase Smoker. But I’m gonna ‘ _try’_ to stop him. No, I needed the higher rank to have access to more secure information instead of having to go through Hina to get me the info. That’s putting her in way too much risk for information that _I want_. Now I can access the information myself, so I’ve been reading up these last few days” explained Cora, pulling out his files from his bag and putting them on the table

Law couldn’t help notice how neatly labeled they all were

“Look” started Cora, scratching his head “This information is conflicting with what I have from the government and what I know of you. Basically these reports are all in the perspective of the World Government and if I learned anything, it’s tainted as hell. So Luffy, all I’m asking is for your side of the story – is that okay? I’m not gonna make any arrests or anything, I really just want to understand”

Law removed his hand from Luffy’s mouth, who had oddly been watching the scene in silence

“Sure Mister Rosisisi! What do you want to know?”

“Why did you go after Captain Morgan that was stationed in Shell town?” asked Cora, opening up a particular file only labeled R.D

“Uhh, that was that axe guy right? He put Zoro in jail for protecting this little girl from his dumb son’s mean dog and then threatened to execute him by making up false charges! But he had promised Zoro to let him go if he went a month without food! So he lied! And was gonna kill Zoro! We weren’t friends yet, but I knew he was a good guy! So I beat Morgan up!” explained Luffy happily

Law blinked, surprised

He had no idea of this!

Cora merely nodded, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lit it up, wincing when he burned his finger with the lighter

_Christ Cora_

“Alright, so next up is; a commotion in Orange town with Buggy’s gang?”

“Yeah that guy’s a real jerk! I beat him good with Nami and Zoro for what they did to poor Chouchou who was only defending his master’s shop! They had a lion attack him!”

“ _A lion_?” asked Law, completely confused

Cora groaned

“It checks out. They had a lion with them when we arrested the gang earlier this week”

“…okay” replied Law, not sure what to say to that

_Minus the fact that he kinda wanted to see it now_

“Mayor Boodle was found unconscious”

“Yeah! Buggy did that!” answered Luffy “But we took the blame and got chassed out of town”

“And you dropped a bag containing a considerable sum of money?”

“Yeah! It was for them to rebuild the town! It got pretty beaten up!”

Law couldn’t help but notice the smile on the corner of Cora’s mouth as he tried to stay serious about it all

“In the Syrup district-“

“Oh! Usopp’s part of town! Yeah, this jerk called Kuro was trying to kill Kaya for her money, so we beat ‘em up good!”

“This incident at the Baratie?”

“This guy called Don something was trying to take Sanji’s old man’s restaurant to use as a base! So we beat ‘em up!”

More and more, Cora couldn’t hide the smile on his face, warning up Law’s heart as he kept listening

“Incident in Cocoyasi district?”

“Huh?” Luffy tipped his head, looking confused

“Ah..Nami’s district?” offered Cora, hoping to clear things up

“Oh! Yeah! Arlong and his gang controlled that district! And they tried to kill Nami’s mom! They were forcing Nami to work for them and Nami was trying to collect the money to buy off the district from Arlong! This was before Nami’s mom was a cop! But we beat him up good and I told Nami that she was my friend, so she knew I’d always help her!”

“And in… _Loguetown?”_ Cora suddenly seemed really surprised, as if he realized something and quickly opened up the file “Holy shit, you had an altercation with Captain Smoker?!”

Luffy blinked and then hit his palm with his fist

“Oooh!! That’s where I know Smokey from! Haha, to think he’s Ace’s boyfriend now!”

Law looked at Luffy in disbelief – _it wasn’t like Smoker was hard to recognize or something?! How did Luffy not realize it was the same guy?!_

 

Cora nodded, and then he pulled out a much bigger and thicker file

“Apparently you guys went traveling last summer?”

“Yep! We met Vivi and she needed help, so we went to her country!”

Law looked at Luffy completely shocked, not sure how to even comprehend this

“How did you convince Ace?” asked Law shocked

“Oh, Ace didn’t care, as long as I showed signs of life once in a while!”

“So, I’m seeing a lot of infrastructure damage in this country to begin with-“

“Huh?”

“Uh… you guys broke a lot of buildings and stuff” explained Cora

“Oh! Yeah, probably, we do that a lot” admitted Luffy, Cora looking at him in disbelief

_Goddamnit Luffy!_

“So sum it up for me, will you?” asked Cora, clearly not willing to go through the entire file with Luffy

“Umm, well, we actually met Vivi while we were traveling around overseas and then we met Chopper because he used to live over there. He joined us to travel while his grandma moved here and then Vivi told us she was trying to make this real bad guy called Croco something and he took Vivi’s country and was treating people real bad! Anyways, we beat him up and his gang and made him give Vivi’s country back to her dad! That’s also when we met Robin! She’s so cool! Also Smokey was there now that I think about it! I can’t believe it’s the same guy!”

“Wait a minute, _you disposed of a tyrant_?!” asked Law, completely shocked

“Now you see why I ran over, right? Luffy, you realize that you and your friends broke a lot of laws, right?” stated Cora in a serious tone

“Yeah, but who cares? If people do stuff that isn’t right, I’m gonna try to help them”

Cora paused for a moment, looking at Luffy in silence before he spoke again

“Eneru? Moriah?”

“They were jerks who were treating people really bad!”

“Moriah? Like the movie producer?” asked Law, surprised

_Oh no, he liked his movies_!

“Yeah! He like, blackmails people and steals stuff that’s important to them and made them work at his studio and didn’t pay them, basically they were slaves, trapped there! And then he did it to me and my friends too, so we beat him up!”

Law frowned sharply – _he was gonna get rid of all the movies he had from Moriah’s studio_

Cora sighed, unable to stop smiling as he closed the folders

“It’s really hard to me mad at you for anything of this, Luffy”

Luffy chuckled, grinning brightly

“But as a cop and a World Government agent, I can’t condone this behavior…but as a person, I’m awfully proud of you for all these good things you did!”

“Yeah! Mister Rosisisi! Wait until you see our new van! It’s so cool! Franky just finished building it!”

Law blinked, surprised

“A new van? What happened to the old one?”

“Oh…Merry broke pretty bad. There was no fixing her” said Luffy, rather sadly

“A van?” asked Cora, surprised

“Yeah! We get around in a van! Franky built us a new one and it’s called The Thousand Sunny!”

“Are you taking the van to the ski trip?” asked Cora, happily continuing the conversation, surprising Law a bit

“Yep! I’m so excited! I just feel kinda bad since I’ll miss Ace’s birthday” admitted Luffy

Law couldn’t help but smile a bit at seeing two people he really cared about interacting together

“Oh? When’s Ace’s birthday?”

“January 1rst! But Ace usually has a party thrown by the Whitebeards anyways! So Sabo and I are gonna celebrate his birthday on the 2nd!”

Cora’s expression suddenly looked really relieved; Law lifted a brow, confused

_The hell was that about_?

Suddenly Luffy’s phone rang, surprising Luffy

“Oh! I gotta go! I have to be at home for supper tonight since Gramps is coming!”

“Ah! Well, you can’t keep Garp waiting, do you need a ride?” offered Cora, smiling

“No, no, thank you though mister Rosisisi!”

“I’ll walk you to the door” said Law, standing up and walking to the door with Luffy

As sad as he was that his date had been disturbed, he was a bit relieved

_He had a lot to talk about with Cora now_

“So, mister super secret spy, are you done keeping secrets?”

Law crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Cora who was now sitting on the ground, taking down notes

Cora pouted, puffing up his cheeks

“Don’t be mean about it! I was gonna tell you, I just got distracted once I had access to all this information! You know how long it’s been to transcribe everything?! I can’t take screenshots or print anything without Sengoku being notified! So I have to write it all down!”

“So all of Luffy’s friends are in there?”

“Yep, combined bounty of 667 000 050$”

_Holy shit, Luffy_

“Any news on Ace?”asked Law, mulling this all over

“Yep. Seems they basically confirmed that he’s Roger’s son. Now they’re just waiting to strike and they have about a month to do it and to this point nothing is confirmed” explained Cora, seeming frustrated

“Well, we know it’s before January 1rst, that’s the deadline, right?”

“Yeah, the statute of limitation is his 18th birthday which is why I need you to make sure that Luffy doesn’t hear about any of this. I need him at the ski trip”

Law frowned sharply, seeing red

“Why?! Why can’t he know that his brother is in danger?! That’s fucked up, Cora! He should have the right to try and help his brother!”

“Because they’re going to try and kill him too, Law. He had a high bounty and they’re aware that he’s Dragon’s son”

Law suddenly felt completely disgusted

“But he’s a minor and-

“This is the World Government, Law. If I learned anything recently is that they won’t care. I had to argue long and hard for you to get off because they were going to put you in jail with a death sentence, Law. They only agreed not to because I was taking you in legally as my charge” admitted Cora, looking frustrated

“What!? They wanted me in jail?! I thought you said I was excused of all crimes!”

“You are, but, the way this works” said Cora, gesturing to the laptop and the files “Is that your bounty is determined by how much they consider you a threat”

Law frowned, thinking it over, but then his eyes widen in horror as realization set in

“ _I have a file?!”_

Cora nodded slowly, quickly pulling up the file on his laptop

“I was told that this wouldn’t exist for your protection. But apparently they lied to me as well”

There it was

On the screen

_With a 200 000 000$ bounty_

“What about Bepo?” asked Law, his hands in fists, he was shaking because he was so _mad_

He was doing everything he could to keep his hands clean _and the government didn’t even care_ – they had already decided that he was garbage and a threat

“He also has one. Bounty of 500$, but it seems it’s because his brother was in a gang called the Nox Gang but lost his life during a confrontation with the Big Mom Gang” explained Cora, pulling up Bepo’s profile, but like Cora had said, his was rather bare

“Well, that’s real fucking rich, Cora! We’re playing nice here and all along the government has already decided that we’re threats and want to get rid of us!”

“Oye!” yelled Cora, standing up, looming over Law “Don’t you think for a goddamn minute that I’m not beyond furious myself! I’m overwhelmed with how mad I am! You kids are doing good things that wouldn’t be happening if the World Government hadn’t gotten so goddamn corrupt! Why the hell is a bunch of kids taking down a tyrant?! We’re just letting atrocities happen left and right but turning our backs to it! For what?! Money!? Convenience?! It’s disgusting! I’m as sick of it as you are, Law! But I can fight this from inside from now, so I will! I will do my damn best to do what’s right!”

Law paused for a moment, staring at Cora in awe and then he sighed, dejected

“Can we just run away and travel the world like we said we would years ago?” offered Law, a small sad smile on his face

Cora only smiled sadly at Law

“After all this? We might not have much of a choice, honestly”

Law shrugged

_Not like he wasn’t used to being a fugitive_

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! The Strawhats activities have all been revealed and Law now knows he has a bounty on his head - so what shall he do now?
> 
> Welp, guess we won't know for a bit - next chapter is Cora's and it's gonna be a busy one!


	71. -CORAZON- Ice Man Cometh (‘Cept Not the X-Men, Please Don’t Get Your Hopes Up)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're moving on the days! Unexpected visit and serious talks - are you all ready!

 

 

“I’m so so happy you’re doing okay!”

“ _Get off me, Trafalgar_!”

Cora was so so happy right now – Wiper had gotten thankfully discharged with minimal long-term injuries. He’d be stuck on desk duty for a while, but it was better than being forced to retire, so Cora was thrilled! So thrilled through that he couldn’t stop hugging the aforementioned Wiper

He was also completely thrilled with the extra help processing the overwhelming amount of paperwork mounting up

_The Whitebeards were out of freaking control!_

Day after day reports of break-ins and damages and thousands in stolen goods! At first Cora thought he was just hyper aware of Whitebeard activity but now he knows he’s not just seeing it – it was getting so constant!

It was almost as if they were on the hunt for something particular because very little was actually being stolen! There usually were one or two things tops and the rest was left alone! Or they seem to have broken in and taken nothing!

Cora only wished he knew what they were trying to hunt down! But none of the places broken into ever wanted to divulge what exactly was stolen! They just said it was ‘precious material’ with a massive price tag – _which of course didn’t help the police at all!_

_And then it got worst_

Some kids happened to be trying to play a courage game near the last place that was hit last night. These kids apparently had been hanging out at the docks way past the hours, messing around and had the displeasure of witnessing everything that went down at the last break-in. They said the Whitebeards showed up, broke in, looked through everything and found a small vial. The vial was taken and the Whitebeards left. Unfortunately, the kids described Ace _perfectly_ to them. It seems they thought he looked really cool so they concentrated on Ace personally

_Good job, Ace_

The Captain’s expression turned steely during the interview and Cora knew there would be severe consequences. They couldn’t pretend it wasn’t Ace anymore. The Captain himself wrote the report and clearly stated Ace’s name – _which shocked Cora completely!_

 

 The Captain had been cooped up all morning in his office – not coming out. Worst is that nobody dared to go bother him either. Cora could only imagine the mood he was in – _his own boyfriend described at the scene of a crime!_

Ace had come along though, as usual, with his coffee mug in hand; ready to give it to the Captain but Tashigi had interfered. She told Ace that the Captain didn’t want to see him right now. Ace looked confused and had asked to try to talk to him, but Tashigi wouldn’t have any of it – saying it was for Ace’s own sake that she was saying this

So Ace left hurt and confused

_That broke his heart honestly_

Soon after, Wiper walked in and everyone’s mood picked right up

Cora was so happy that he was okay! He was worried after what happened with the Mayor, but this was a good sign

 

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you but can I see the Captain please?”

Cora blinked, looking up from his desk at the receptionist who was looking up, seemingly nervous

 “Is tha-?!”

Cora stood up, looking at the man at the desk, completely shocked

“Kuzan Aokiji?!”

Kuzan blinked, turning to look at Cora, rather surprised

“Aren’t you Sengoku’s boy?”

“Y-Yeah! What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see Smoker. The old coot called me over here to talk about something, so here I am”

“Smoker? Called you?” asked Cora, raising a brow – he didn’t know the two of them were so close

“Oh! Kuzan! I’ll tell the Captain that you’re here!” said Tashigi as she got up, quickly, slightly bashing her knee into the desk before she made her way to the Captain’s office

“So uh…how’s…life?” awkwardly asked Cora, not sure how to really breach the question; it’s not like he and Kuzan really uh _, interacted_ before

“You don’t need to small talk, Sengoku’s boy. It’s fine. That boy you took in, he keeping his nose clean?”

Cora frowned sharply, instantly on the defensive

“Yes. Yes, he is”

“No need for hostility. I was just asking, I’m not in the mood to start trouble right now”

 

Smoker then came out of the office, putting his jacket on

“Tashigi will be acting Chief for the rest of the day” announced Smoker, still in a grim mood “I have to go with this one to discuss something. Don’t burn the place down, _either one of you_ ” warned the Captain, glaring at both Cora and Tashigi

_Holy shit, it was just a wastebasket_! _And it was one time!_

“Have fun today, _daddy_ ” said Wiper loudly from his desk, eyes down, typing away his report as everyone in the station’s jaw dropped

_Oh my god, he did it_

 Smoker turned a dark red, sputtering as Kuzan pushed him out the door, making everyone burst into loud laughter

“Fuck! Now we owe him money!” declared Bellemere once Smoker was out the door

Cora laughed even harder – he didn’t even care, it was worth it for what it did to the mood

“Ahh, I hope that whatever he’s gonna talk about with the Captain will make him feel better though!” said Cora, sighing happily as he wiped a tear out of his eye

“Smoker going to go talk with Kuzan is never a good thing!” blurted out Tashigi

“Oh? How come?”

Tashigi clearly looked uncomfortable for a moment, not sure she really wanted to proceed or not

“Kuzan is…an old friend of the Captain’s” started Bellemere “He’s…not the most sympathetic guy, he can be, don’t get me wrong, he can be merciful but his opinion on things can be…a bit…uh well”

“Well, tactless and blunt” finished Tashigi, looking worried

“You mean, if this is about A-“

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s gonna be the nicest advice” pointed out Bellemere, a little worryingly

“Isn’t that better though? Sometimes people need to hear the truth” stated Wiper, again, not looking up from his work

“Ah, Wiper does have a point” Cora couldn’t disagree with that at all “You think he’s gonna tell the Captain to break up with him?”

“Wouldn’t you?” replied Bellemere sadly, biting her lip “ _Especially_ after last night’s incidents?”

 

Before Cora could say another word though, the front door burst open

There was Garp, storming into the police station, shoving aside a young man that was waiting in line to talk to the receptionist

“ _Boy. You need to leave now_ ” snarled Garp at the young man in line who quickly scampered away

Garp then turned to look at the officers behind the desk

“I need to speak to the Captain – _NOW_!” yelled Garp

Cora was a little horrified

Never in his life had he seen Garp look so _mad_!

There was Garp wearing a garish Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts (in December?!) but he was almost a crimson colour right now. His hands were into fists and he was shaking, teeth showing clearly

Now Cora understood the ‘Mad Dog’ moniker

Tashigi gulped, shakenly getting up

“The Captain isn’t here. Can I help you?”

“My grandson is mentioned in your latest report! You’re not allowed to mention him! You have no proof! _This is slander_!”

“I’m sorry, but this morning, these kids described Ace perfectly, we can’t deny it’s him – he was even wearing the same clothes that the Captain saw him in yesterday and-“

“That’s bullshit! It’s all speculations! And-“ cut in Garp

“Mind cutting out the crap, Garp. Nobody here is fooled; we all know what Ace is up to” stated Cora, frowning sharply

_He wasn’t gonna sit here and let Tashigi get verbally assaulted like this_!

“What did you say to me?!" asked Garp, pissed even more as he opened the counter separation and stormed up to Cora who quickly stood up

"I said – everybody here knows exactly what Ace has been up to! And you can't keep cleaning up the record like this, pretending that your grandsons aren't out there causing chaos left and right!"

" _Rosinante_ " Bellemere said worryingly, clearly not sure where Cora was going with this

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" argued Garp, making Cora roll his eyes

"Stop playing dumb! _Acting like this is going to get Ace killed_! You're being way too nonchalant about this! _Be serious for once, you senile jackass_!" howled Cora, slamming his fist on his desk

Garp paused, looking at Cora surprised as everyone else in the station merely looked at both of them in total silence, not quite sure what to say

"You know, you and Sengoku are a lot more alike than I ever thought, Rosinante"

Cora blinked, surprised at the calmness in Garp's voice and suddenly the happy façade on Garp's face dropped, suddenly, he looked old and exhausted

"Come outside with me?" asked Garp "Let's go talk in private"

Cora merely nodded, stepping around his desk and followed Garp out the back

 

"Why do you care so much about Ace?" Cora blinked, surprised at how blunt Garp's question was

"I've gotten to know him over the time I've been here. He's a good kid. He's nice; he's friendly, hardworking and full of potential. I would just hate to see something to happen to him – especially if it can be avoided" admitted Cora, sighing sadly

It was weird when people asked him why he cared about someone

_He cares about people,_ that's just it

"Sounds like you're his boyfriend or something! BWUHAHAHAHA"

"Huh? No? I'm not! That's the-"

Garp suddenly paused, looking completely surprised as he grabbed the collar of Cora's shirt and pulled him down so they could see face to face

" _Are you telling me that my grandson has a boyfriend_?"

Cora instantly froze – not sure where to continue with this

Was...Garp... _okay with this_? _Or not okay with this?_ _Did he know about Luffy?_!

"A-Ah, I uh...can't disclose that because it's none of my business!" explained Cora hastily, laughing nervously and Garp let him go

"That bastard! _He didn't say a damn word about having a boyfriend_! I even saw him off this morning before he ran to school! _Wait!_ He left at the crack of dawn! _Did he go see his boyfriend first?!"_

_Actually, yeah_

" _I can't wait to meet this punk and tell him exactly what I'd do to him if he hurts my grandson!_ " threatened Garp as he slammed his fist into his hand

"So...you don't mind about the whole boyfriend thing?"

"Eh? Why would I care? Luffy's dating that kid of yours, isn't he? That's what Sengoku told me anyways"

"HUH?! Sengoku told you?!" Cora didn't think that they talked about things like that!

"But Ace...he's different. If your kid dumps Luffy, he'd probably get over it fast enough, but Ace...this could devastate him. He doesn't seem like it, but he's kinda of, I don't want to say sensitive, but he's prone to going to a bad place and fast" explained Garp, the best he could, looking really uncomfortable disclosing this

Cora blinked, surprised to hear that

_Ace was prone to getting depressed_?

He can't say that he expected that or frankly, _expected Garp to be aware of that_

"It's kinda sweet that you're looking out for him like this, Garp" admitted Cora, chuckling softly

"Well yeah, he is my flesh and blood after all, you know!"

" _Is he though_?" carefully asked Cora, still smiling softly

The mood around them instantly got very tense as Garp stiffen up, frowning sharply at Cora

“ _What do you mean with that question, boy_ ”

“I’m just saying” started Cora; being nonchalant “I don’t see much resemblance”

“ _There’s a mother involved, you know_ ”

“Well, Luffy looks a lot like you! Well, when you were much younger anyways, Sengoku showed me the pictures. But Ace? Hmm, Ace not so much”

“Are you done playing stupid? _Who told you_?” asked Garp, clearly not messing around

“Your grandson has a big mouth. The little one, not Ace”

_Sorry Luffy~!_

“ _Goddamnit Luffy!_ Well, what are you going to do with that information?” asked Garp, trying to keep his voice leveled, but Cora knows a threat when he hears one

“Like I said _, I want Ace to be safe and alive_. If anyone should know that blood doesn’t make you who you are, it’s clearly me” pointed out Cora, rolling his eyes

“I don’t know, you’re pretty ruthless right now if you ask me”

Cora scoffed

“ _Don’t compare me to Doflamingo_! That’s insulting!” 

“So, you know, huh?”

Cora nodded quietly, sighing

“Yeah, and that I’m aware of it, apparently so does his beau, so you have nothing to worry about concerning that. They know and they don’t care either”

_It would be weird if he did considering he’s Whitebeard’s son_

“Does Sengoku know?” asked Cora

Garp’s expression turned to one of pure remorse and guilt

Holy fuck, _he told him_!

“No…No, he…he doesn’t. If he did…he would…but he won’t. Because he doesn’t”

_He told him! He told him! He told him_!

“ _Because if he knew_ , Ace is in danger” Cora hoped with everything he got that Garp would understand what he was trying to say

“Yeah, I know” said Garp, scratching the back of his head

But then Cora realized something

_That’s why he was here_!

It was only December 5th, too early for Christmas or anything; _he was here to make sure Ace was safe_!

“So, you in town long?” asked Cora, trying to change the mood

Garp sighed, shaking his head

“Naw, only for a week or two. I wanted to stay until next year, but my request got denied pretty hard. Apparently I’m needed at base for something later on or some shit, I don’t know. I wanted to spend Christmas with my grandsons” lamented Garp, clearly frustrated

Cora frowned sharply, his eyes widening

_This was done on purpose_! They wanted Garp as far away as possible from Ace when all of it goes down!

“Willing to take some advice?” offered Cora, knowing he might be crossing a line

“Out with it”

“Do…whatever you can to stay close to Sengoku towards the end of the year. Just, trust my gut on this, Garp”

Garp frowned and nodded but then he sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair

“This is all so complicated”

Cora sighed in return, lighting up a cigarette

“ _Family is complicated_ , Garp” offered Cora, smiling a bit

Garp only laughed loudly in response

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alas everyone - say goodbye to Cora for a bit! He won't be back until chapter 76! But it will be rock and roll, so let's go!


	72. -ACE- Combined You Two Are Like R2D2 and C3P0 (Except With More Emotions and A Speedo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad since so many of you are mourning the loss of Cora for a bit! Don't worry, he'll come back!
> 
> EDIT: Thank you so much Mirykirigum for catching my typo!!

 

 

 

“And then she was all like ‘he doesn’t want to see you now, Ace’ Like seriously?! “

Sabo sighed as Ace continued to rant as they headed to their next class together

Ace was still pretty ticked off about this morning! He had barely gotten any sleep because he was out most of the night, yet he still rushed to Makino’s this morning, barely making it, his hair still wet too , got his boyfriend his morning coffee, rushed to the police station and _he was denied_?!

_DENIED!_

“Well, maybe he was ticked off at you and Tashigi saved your ass from getting rimmed o- wait, maybe you’re into that now” pointed out Sabo, with a smirk

Ace rolled his eyes, shoving Sabo slightly

“Why the hell would he be mad at me though? Things have finally been going really good between us since the fight, so why the fuck is he mad at me?!”

“Uh…You’re kidding right? You Whitebeards have been out of control lately, how can he not be mad at you?”

Ace frowned; _Sabo did have a bit of a point there_

Since they were sure the shipment that Marco was looking for was coming in this month, they have been a tad aggressive looking for it. But it’s not like they stole anything else though! The instructions are clear! _Only akumanomi vials_! Now, Ace had to admit he wasn’t the uh, most _discreet_ vial-getter and may have caused a significant amount of damage, especially him and his whole team

_Okay yeah, he can see why Smoker would be mad at him_

“Shit, do you think he suspects me of causing all that damage?”

Sabo lifted a brow

“Uh, I think the fact that it’s you Whitebeards are responsible is enough to put him in a bad mood”

“Uurggh” groaned Ace, running his hands through his hair, knocking his hat back “I was afraid of this”

“You had to know this would happen, Ace. You guys aren’t a discreet bunch”

“I don’t even know how to make this better, honestly” bemoaned Ace

“Give him some space and let him contact you first is my advice. He’ll need to cool down”

Ace sighed, taking out his phone and looking at the last message he had sent to Smoker, which ironically enough was a simple ‘goodnight!’

“I guess”

 

They both walked into the metal works class and spotted Franky looking over a big detailed map which seemed to be a big, complex project

“Oye! Franky! I saw the van you built for Luffy, looks fantastic!” said Ace, grinning

Franky blinked, looking up from his map and grinned brightly

“Thanks! Isn’t the Thousand Sunny gorgeous? I’m so proud of her!” boasted Franky

“Franky, mind me asking you a question” asked Sabo, his tone serious

Franky frowned a bit, raising a brow

“Go ahead, bro”

“There was a sub today in History class, is Robin okay?”

Ace was surprised that Sabo asked straight-up, he had wondered that himself. After Robin’s last kidnapping and incident – he was a bit worried that something had happened to her again. But he was surprised at how upfront Sabo was – but then again, he wasn’t the beating around the bush type of person

“Uh, well, I guess I can tell you guys. See, we were coming into work this morning and usually we walk because Robin likes to people watch and stuff, and she spotted someone that well, _she can’t see_. So it put her in a really bad state, she was shaking and everything. So I brought her back home. I asked her if she wanted me to stay with her, but she said no. But I’ve been annoying and skyping her all day though and facetiming, she seemed to be doing much better now though. So she’ll be in tomorrow” explained Franky, crossing his arms

It was clear on his face how upset the situation made Franky, Ace was feeling really bad for him

“ _Wait – The Blue Pheasant is in town_?! How did I not hear about this?” stated Sabo, completely shocked

“The what?” asked Ace, not sure what was going on here

“Yeah!  Well, she said she saw him but I don’t know what the dude looks like. But with how Robin reacted, I’m not doubting her, you know?”

“Oh no, he’s hard to mistaken for someone else. She probably saw him” assured Sabo

“Uh, for the guy that’s confused, mind clearing things up?” asked Ace, pointing to himself

Franky and Sabo both paused, looking around as more students started pouring in

“After class, dudes?”

Ace nodded; clearly this wasn’t a conversation to be overheard

 

“Sooo…bird dude?”

Ace didn’t mean to sound impatient, but he hated being out of the loop

Once all the students had left, Ace and Sabo had stayed in the class as Franky went to close the door and lock it

Ace quickly realized the severity of the situation

“The Blue Pheasant is actually the code name for Kuzan Aokiji. He’s one the major Admirals of the World Government” started Sabo; frowning as he crossed his arms “This is bad – that’s two Admirals from the World Government in town. Dragon is going to be pissed off about this”

“Okay, so this guy is high placed – wait, two? The other one is Akainu, right?”

Franky nodded

“Yeah dude, but Akainu isn’t an issue for Robin. But Aokiji is – see, Robin’s actually from the town of Ohara and-“

“Isn’t Ohara that town that like…blew up? Due to some chemical gas problem or something?” asked Ace, frowning sharply

He recalled reading about that somewhere? _Probably during his many ‘6 Clicks to Hitler’ games on Wikipedia_

“That’s what the World Government said to cover-up what they really did” explained Sabo “Go on, Franky”

“So yeah, anyways, she’s the only survivor. Apparently it was a city of scholars and they were studying the Poneglyphs and the Void Century and when they World Government got wind of it, they decided to destroy the whole town and make it look like an accident”

“ _Wait, wait, so they killed like, hundreds of people because of a handful of scholars_?”

Sabo merely nodded, frowning

“It was more than a handful, but you get the idea”

Ace frowned sharply, clenching his fist – _he hated the World Government so fucking much!_

“The only reason Robin escaped was because her mom and some guy called Saul who risked their lives to save her. But just as she was getting away, Kuzan showed up, took down Saul but let Robin escape out of curiosity or something ? Anyways, he also told her that if she ever did anything illegal – he’ll be the first to come after her. Robin was only 8 years old at the time, so everything really traumatized her, you know?”

Ace grit his teeth – _what kind of person does that to someone?!_

“So, Robin escaped?”

“Yeah, but then she spent her entire life running away from the law and stuff but trouble followed her around like the plague. It really bummed her out and made her not really able to trust people, you know? But I went through kinda the same stuff, so when I was working as an airplane mechanic a few years back, I met her and we kinda hit it off. Especially since we were both running away from the World Government” explained Franky, frowning

“So…Do you think he’s in town for Robin? Because of the whole Impel Down thing?”

Sabo shook his head

“No. The World Government would have gone after Luffy more than anything. _He’s not exactly hiding_ ”

 

Franky jumped, surprised

“Wait! You guys know about that?”

“Yeah. We do.” replied Ace, his expression flat

“Does Luffy know about Robin and your past? It’s important for the leader of the gang to be aware of their member’s baggage” stated Sabo, also with a flat expression

“Oh man” started Franky, scratching the back of his head “Luffy thinks you guys don’t know, he’s not gonna be happy when he finds out. How much do you dude actually know though?”

“Enough that we’re gonna have a little _chat_ with Luffy soon about what he’s been doing in the past year or so” hissed Ace, crossing his arms

“Aww man, go easy on Luffy, will ya? The little guy’s got such a good heart and he’s trying to help people” pleaded Franky

Ace sighed loudly, pushing his hair back

“I get that, I do, but man, I worked my ass off to make sure that Luffy can live a straight and narrow life. I’ve put tons of savings, worked multiple jobs, cared and took care of him. I made sure he did well enough in school and everything and then he goes behind my back and does this shit” explained Ace, not able to hide the frustration in his voice

“Luffy isn’t exactly discreet either, but it’s too late now anyways” stated Sabo “But we will give him hell for lying to us. ASL doesn’t keep secrets, that’s rule number one and Luffy broke it”

Franky laughed

“Alright dudes, I get that, he broke the bro code, he’s gotta pay”

“Yeah, we’re just gotta beat him up a little that’s all!” said Ace teasingly, but suddenly he felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket

Shit! That’s right! He had a mission tonight! It was probably Marco asking him where the fuck he was!

 

Ace took out his phone and smiled brightly – it was from the Captain!

“What is it, Ace?” asked Sabo, trying to look over Ace’s shoulder

“It’s Chase! He wants me to go meet a friend of his and he’s inviting me to dinner at Makino’s diner!”

Sabo frowned sharply

“Ace – _be on guard_ ”

_What?_

Ace blinked, looking at Sabo confused

“Eh? Why? You know something?”

“I’m suspecting something – let me call Koala quick”

Ace watched as Sabo took out his cellphone and walked to the back of the room for better reception; Franky merely snickered, grinning at Ace

“Is Chase this ‘Smokey’ that Luffy says you’re dating?”

Ace turned bright red at the notion

“W-What? He talks about it?”

“Well, he just said that you were dating some dude called Smokey, but by how your face lit up, I’m assuming it’s him”

“Well…Umm – Goddamnit Luffy!”

 

“I was right!” hissed Sabo as he stuffed his phone in his pocket and walked up to the duo

“About what?” asked Ace

“Koala just confirmed to me that Kuzan and Smoker are actually good friends and have always had a good relationship. Actually at Smoker’s trial, Kuzan was the only one who defended him, along with Tashigi and Hina. I think we were right when we deduced that Kuzan wasn’t here for Robin. He’s here to meet Ace” explained Sabo

“What you trial? Why was Smoker on trial?”

_Why was it the first time he’s heard about this trial?!_

“He didn’t tell you? Smoker didn’t leave the Marines, he was forced to leave. He was trial for dishonorable discharge for refusing orders. Koala only found out recently though – I figured he had told you?”

“Oh fuck! You think that’s who Chase’s friend is?! Am I in trouble? Should I be worried at all?” asked Ace

_This was bad! An Admiral was here to meet him?!_

But then again…

“But…Chase…He wouldn’t purposely put me in danger like that, he…”

_Loves me?_

Ace frowned, getting quiet – he felt presumptuous saying that Smoker loved him

Smoker had told him that he wasn’t one for words but actions

And things have been well, _good_ between for a bit now

_But this morning Smoker had refused to see him_

_How he fucked things up again?_

_Would this be the end of it?_

 

“ACE!”

Ace blinked, staring at Sabo who had both his hands on Ace’s shoulders, shaking him slightly

“Huh?”

“You..You went to _that_ place again” explained Sabo, keeping his voice low

Ace rubbed his face, trying to calm down his heart

He was so so thankful that Sabo was back in his life for moments like this

“So, if Kuzan is here to see Ace, why would that be a problem?” asked Franky, frowning

“Er…well…there’s people looking for Ace too” explained Sabo, Ace sighed smiling, thankful that Sabo was trying to be discreet

“World Government out for you too, huh?”

Ace blinked, surprised

“Are you talking about Robin or yourself here?”

“Oh, both me and Robin, I clubbed a Cipher Pol agent right in the fucking face a few years back and tried to kill them by putting myself in front of their train. Didn’t kill them – but that’s how I wound up needing a serious amount of injury” explained Franky, laughing afterwards

Ace laughed softly as well – he didn’t think the accident was due to him trying to take down some World Government agents!

“Damn, that’s so cool, Franky!”

“Thank you, dude!”

“Any way you can just…not go, Ace?” asked Sabo

Ace didn’t miss the twinge of fear in Sabo’s voice

_Goddamnit Sabo_

“What gives man? From what I understand Akainu’s a bigger problem than this guy”

Sabo sighed

“Yes, but as a high school principal – _he has to be really careful of his actions_ and technically he’s undercover right now – Kuzan isn’t. Meaning he can act as he wishes” explained Sabo, frowning

“Oh, I didn’t think of that” admitted Ace, frowning “But, we’re going to Makino’s, it would be kinda dumb to try something on me there, wouldn’t it?”

“Ace, just for the love of everything, _be careful_ ”

 

Ace has literally been to this dinner a million times

Ever since Makino came to visit them when they were kids and brought them clothes to wear, Ace has made his way to the dinner

Granted, at first he would peep through the window just to watch the girl that was really nice to them work – not wanting to bother her

But once she caught him and invited him inside, Ace has never hesitated to go in – well until now

He has now been standing in front of the door for a good five minutes, cursing himself for being such a coward

On one hand, he wanted to be at his best and impress his boyfriend’s friend

On the other hand, there was the miniscule chance that the man he loved sold him off

And goddamnit, _it was terrifying him_

“Ace? Are you okay?”

Ace blinked and jumped, once again, Makino caught him looking in. There she was at the door, holding it open, looking right at Ace with a big smile on her face

“A-Ah yeah, I um-“

Makino smile turned into a concerned expression as she stepped outside, closing the door

“Ace? What’s wrong?”

“Um…I…I have to meet someone and-“

“Nervous?” asked Makino, frowning still

“Kinda…yeah” admitted Ace

_Man he felt like an ass right now_

“Well, they looked like they were in a good mood. They were in a serious conversation, but the mood wasn’t hostile or anything” stated Makino, looking upward, in thought

Ace blinked, surprised to hear that

“Ah…you know who I’m meeting, huh?”

Makino giggled

“Hard to miss your beau, Ace! He is a rather large man”

“Um…Makino, if anything happens…mind calling Sabo?” asked Ace, taking a step forward, towards the door

“Oh…sure? Ace, are you sure you’re okay?”

Ace sighed deeply, groaning

“No. But I’m only going to get worst if I don’t go through those doors”

Makino nodded, opening the door and stepping aside, letting Ace go inside

“You’ve got this, Ace”

Ace grinned at Makino, giving her the thumbs up

“Sure do!”

_Here’s to hoping she’s right_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the meeting goes well? Right? Right?
> 
> Anywho! Here's the calendar for the fic! Right now only November is completed though and I started on December, I'll do the backlog when I can! 
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PS8kshT169-yidWNebPirXsuow2DJY9Dm1z8F2YSfb8/edit?usp=sharing


	73. -LAW- Time to Turn Up Eye of the Tiger (But Less Rocky Balboa and More Marjane Satrapis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law's getting another tattoo and decisions need to be made!

 

 

 

Law frowned, staring at the small map that Bepo made him

He never went to the Whitebeard mansion from school so he wasn’t quite sure how to get there

Cora had offered to come pick him up and bring him in. But Law had declined – apparently work has been considerably busier lately and the last thing Law needed was to disturb Cora even more. Bepo on the hand had an important club meeting and Law didn’t want him to skip out. He was old enough to get to his own tattoo appointment by himself!

If anything, he could always get a cab or something…

 

“You coming?”

Law jumped slightly as Marco walked up to him, Izo, Thatch and Haruta behind him

“Eh?”

_What did he mean? Of course he was coming?_

“Well, it would be kinda dumb for you to walk to the mansion when I can just give you a lift. It would start the appointment faster anyways, I’m back-to-back tonight” explained Marco as Law nodded, quietly following him to the car

“Isn’t Ace usually with you guys?” asked Law, frowning

“Ace is off gallivanting with his beau” mumbled Marco, looking annoyed

Izo chuckled, getting into the car

“Forgive Marco’s mood. Ace suddenly had to meet up with the Captain and Marco doesn’t like his schedule disrupted”

“But Ace promised he’d be back in time before the job, so Marco needs to chiiiilll” teased Thatch as he sat down besides Izo, Haruta sitting on the other side of Izo

Law blinked, guess he had shotgun

Law got into the car, sitting beside a rather annoyed Marco

“Well he better hold that up, I don’t have the room for fuckups right now”

Law wisely didn’t say another word

 

The mood in the car stayed tense and as they got to the mansion, Thatch, Izo and Haruta quickly bailed into the mansion, not saying another word

Law frowned slightly, quietly following Marco into his studio

Law watched as Marco quietly walked into the studio. Law stayed at the entrance as Marco disarmed the alarm and turned on all the lights. Once that was done, he took off his heavy winter boots

“Take off your shirt and get in the chair, I should be ready in a moment”

Law nodded, setting his bags down on the couch. He took off his hat and then his coat, throwing them also on the couch. Once he got to the studio chair, he quickly took off his shirt and sat down

Soon enough Marco walked up to him, wearing his familiar rubber gloves and stencils in hand as he handed over the waiver to Law. Law quickly took it and filled out the familiar questions

“So” started Marco as he sat down on his rolling stool, shifting towards Law “Today you wanted to do both shoulders? Next appointment, we’ll do your back and we’ll finish with the fingers, okay?”

Law nodded again, lying back on the chair, letting Marco grab his arm, putting on the stencil

Quietly Marco checked the stencil, making sure the design was precise and perfect

“This what you want? Right position?”

Law nodded again, smiling at himself in the mirror

“It’s perfect. Thank you”

Marco nodded again, sitting down as he prepped up his tattoo machine, letting out a heavy sigh

“You okay, man?”

Law was starting to get nervous – if Marco didn’t want to do this today, they could just reschedule

“Yeah. It’s fine”

“You seem tense, if you don’t want to do this today-“

“Relax, Trafalgar. It’s not this. I just have a bad feeling lately that’s following me around. But I’m damn good at doing tattoos. It’s not this” stressed Marco, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Law’s arm again and started to tattoo

Law grunted, not expecting him to start right away

“It’s about Ace, isn’t it?”

Marco paused slightly, glaring at Law

“Spill what you know, you little turd”

“That he’s Roger’s son and that the World Government knows too”

Marco groaned as he kept tattooing Law

“Ah. Your guardian tell you that?”

“No, Luffy did- well, the fact that he’s Roger’s son. The World Government part is from Cora, yeah”

“Does he know anything else?”

Law bit his lip

“He thinks they’re planning some sort of coup to take you guys down at the same time”

Marco lifted a brow

“Us too? How do you figure that? We’re a lot”

“The Warlords have been summoned”

Marco instantly lifted his machine off of Law – looking at him completely shocked

“Excuse me?!”

“Doflamingo taunted Cora with that information a while ago. He wouldn’t have done that if he wasn’t actually coming”

“Fucking shit, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about. Shit, well, thanks for the info. It’s really good to know” admitted Marco as he went right back to work

 

Marco kept tattooing in silence for a good while, until Law spoke up again

“Listen, if you guys want help to beat down the World Government, I’m in”

“No” replied Marco instantly, not even looking up

Law felt the blood rush to his face

“Why not?! I want revenge for what they did to my family! My home! I have the right!”

“What you do by yourself is your call. But the Whitebeards are allied with many gangs already and also Pops promised Corazon that he wouldn’t get you or Bepo involved in any of our jobs. Pops is not going to allow us to go back on a promise between men – especially not when it concerns their children. It’s not that your help isn’t appreciated, it’s just that it’s really out of my hands” explained Marco, sighing

Law huffed, feeling really put off

“But, if you have any ideas on keeping Luffy away, that would be appreciated. I don’t want him to get involved”

Law frowned – not this crap again

“He’s gone on a ski trip from the 26th to the 2nd”

“Excellent. That’s good news” replied Marco, looking rather relieved

“Why the hell do you people always want us out of the way! We can help! Shit, Luffy already took down two Warlords!”

“It’s more complicated than that, Law” started Marco, keeping his voice calm “Cora asked for a peace of mind; he doesn’t want to have to worry about you kids. Ace is a different story. When Luffy’s around – Luffy’s safety is his number one concern. Even if they’re targeting Ace in this, Ace will set it aside to protect Luffy. Which means Luffy can be used as a hostage or worst. Basically I don’t want to risk Ace getting hurt badly because he’s worried about Luffy. That’s why I need Luffy to not be around at all”

Law blinked; he forgot how protective Ace apparently was over his little brother. He knew that Ace looked over Luffy’s homework, made sure he was fed, bought him his clothes and supplies, made sure he got to school on time every day; okay, _Ace was a total motherhen_

“Ace has a bad habit. He never turns his back to an enemy if his friends are in danger. Which could wind up being disastrous for Ace _; they are trying to kill him_ ”

Law nodded, it made sense

“What about Sabo though? Wouldn’t it be the same issue for him? Why are we all worried about Luffy?”

Ace did have two brothers!

“You do know that Sabo can crush a skull with one hand, right? Ace doesn’t fret over Sabo; the two of them see each other as equals. But if Sabo was in danger, Ace would easily step in. But I don’t have to worry about Sabo, since he has to go overseas for a Revolutionary Army job. Apparently they’re going to break apart a human trafficking ring over there that’s World Government protected. Sabo personally asked up to keep a very close eye on Ace until his 18th birthday”  explained Marco and then pulled back

“Alright, we’re done this side” Marco quickly wheeled his stool over to the other side of Law and got started on the other arm; making Law wince

“And after that – Ace is free from this?”

“Hmm, sorta. He’s not free of the stigma of being the King of Gangs’ son, he’s going to live with that for life. But he wants to legally change his name to Portgas at least”

What?!

“Ace’s legal name isn’t Portgas?”

“Nope, it’s Gol. His mother apparently really wanted him to have his father’s name. Rouge was genuinely in love with Roger. The two had a short but very happy marriage” explained Marco as he kept tattooing

“Also he wants Pops to legally adopt him. If you ask Ace though, he’ll tell you that his only father is Pops, so it’s not like it’ll change much. He’ll move in here and at least that part of his life he can let go”

Law lifted a brow, smirking a bit

“Just that part, huh? Any other part you want him to let go?”

Marco lifted a brow right back at Law, not looking impressed

“Are you trying to get me to bitch about something?”

“You seemed kinda mad that Ace blew you guys off for the Captain”

Marco rolled his eyes

“I just find that Ace is wasting his time with the Captain, that’s all. There’s no future there and Ace is the one that’s really going to get hurt. And then I’m going to have to kill the Captain, which is more work for me to do”

Law had to laugh at that one

 

They soon fell in a comfortable silence

But Law’s mind couldn’t stop buzzing

He had a chance here to take down the World Government

When he joined Doffy’s gang, his one and only operative, his one and only goal was to destroy everything

He wanted the world to burn because of what they did to his family, his friends, his home

But now, things were different; Law knew it was the World Government that was to blame

Taking them down wouldn’t be possible alone; shit, _the Revolutionary Army’s been at it for years_!

But he could be trouble for them

A lot of trouble, and with Cora’s information, he could find out how to stay as hidden as he could

Be notorious but unknown

Once inside – _he could take Doflamingo down_

Murder the man before he tried to take what was left of who he loved

Even if he went to jail – or died in the process, if he murdered Doflamingo _, at least Cora could live happily and in peace for the rest of his life_

But if he was to do this; he needed to make sure he had everything

Transportation

Supplies

People

Uniforms

_The whole works – actually form a real gang_!

He didn’t want to fall behind anymore

Law was tired of finding out shit behind the fact and if people, the World Government especially, already think he’s a thug?

Then he’ll fucking become one

Law’s pretty sure he saw an ad somewhere that looked interesting and he’s pretty sure he bookmarked it too

 

Law shifted slightly, making Marco pause and glare at him but Law merely looked at him sheepishly as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket

“Sorry sorry, needed to check something”

Law quickly unlocked his phone and started to dig around and then smiled brightly when he found what he was looking for

For sale; a yellow 2011 Ford Transit Yellow Van

_It would be perfect for exactly what they did_

The only problem is that in the next town over. But Law’s pretty sure he could just take a greyhound over and grab it. They would need a safe place to stash it though, so he’ll have to go looking around town for a spot that would be safe and not under another’s gang’s jurisdiction either

“Oye, Marco – is there like a map of who controls what area?”

“Yes. But it’s a map we made and you live with a cop” pointed out Marco

“I just want to see it to make sure I don’t step on somebody’s toes” replied Law, getting a bit annoyed

“That can be arranged”

“And is making fake license plates hard?”

“They do them in prison, pretty boy, what do you think?”

“Good point”

“Whatever you’re planning, I’d be careful if I was you – _you live with a government spy_ ” warned Marco as he finished up filling in the shoulder piece

“You guys have any beef with Doflamingo?” asked Law; he knew that Doflamingo stayed as far away from Whitebeard’s territory, but it sounded like it was more due that they were a hassle more than anything

One time Law asked, and Doflamingo’s answer was that attacking a herd directly was always a bad strategy

That one needed to wait until they were injured or scattered, then you attacked

But was it a mutual feeling

“Pops hates him. Think he’s utter trash”

“Would you ever attack him directly?”

“No” started Marco as he wiped the tattoo down, making Law sigh happily, he loved the feeling of the cooling cloths “Doflamingo goes after civilians, Pops can’t stand that. If he ever attacked us; we’ll attack. But we’d never purposely go after him”

“Okay. Good to know”

Marco frowned, raising a brow

“You planning something dumb?”

Law snorted, shaking his head

“Naw. But do you have time for more?”

Marco raised a brow

“Like what?”

“Do the fingers now shall we?”

Marco looked at Law long and hard. But then he sat up, going back to his cabinet and pulled out the stencils

“Your funeral, Trafalgar”

Law smirked

“Naw, it’s not mine – not yet anyways”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Next week - we're going right back to Ace!


	74. -ACE- Why You Gotta Be Like That? (Would A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to see how this meeting goes down! Hold on everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

 

 

“Ace! Over here“

Ace nodded as he nervously approached the back booth

His heart sang when he saw Smoker, sitting there. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, only a dark grey button up shirt unbuttoned enough for Ace to get a nice view of his pectorals inside the shirt

_Frankly that wasn’t fair_ ; he had no right to look so sexy in a public space like this where Ace had to keep his hands to himself!

_That bastard_

Smoker instantly shifted over, giving Ace room to his besides him in the booth

Ace quickly sat down and shrugged off his coat, placing his bag on the ground besides the booth and quickly looked up at the man sitting across from them

_Whoah, he was a tall fellow!_

“Ace, this is Kuzan Aokiji, an old friend of mine. Kuzan, this is Ace D. Portgas”

Ace smiled the friendliest smile he could muster with his nerves going crazy and stuck out his hand

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Kuzan nodded, taking Ace’s hand and shaking it

Ace instantly had a frozen chill run through his body

_This man’s skin was so cold_

_So incredibly cold_

Ace couldn’t remember the last time he felt this cold

“Pleasure to meet you Ace. Chase here has told me a lot about you”

“Hahaha, hopefully only good things?” offered Ace teasingly as he rubbed the back of his neck

“ _Are you only good things?”_ asked Kuzan, promptly shutting up Ace

Nobody would say that he was, _let’s be real here_

“Don’t be an ass, Kuzan” warned Smoker, taking a sip of his coffee

 

Suddenly Makino showed up, putting a large chocolate milkshake in front of Ace. Ace blinked, looking at Makino confused who only winked at him

“Alright gentlemen, have you decided on what you’d like today?”

“Ace, you can order anything off the menu, I’ll cover it” offered Smoker as he handed Ace the menu

“U-Um, the usual, Makino?” asked Ace, his voice more strained than he would have hoped

“Of course, Ace! And you two?”

“I’ll take the special” said Smoker, handing Makino the menu

“Same” replied Kuzan as he also handed her over the menu

“Alright! It shouldn’t be too long!” said Makino as she headed into the kitchen to give the order to Party

Ace nervously started to drink his milkshake, trying to stop himself from shaking

“So Ace. Chase told me that you’re not quite out of high school yet. What do you plan on doing after?”

Ace blinked, surprised at the rather normal question

“Um, I’ve been looking at maybe going to school to become a teacher. Not sure to what school yet. But the guidance counsellor said I still had time to decide”

“Hmm” replied Kuzan “Noble profession teaching. Do you work?”

“Oh! I do a few odd jobs here and there. I actually work here once in a while. I’ve done odd jobs for the Galley-la company too. Right now I’m helping a teacher with her research part time. She said she could hook me up with a student librarian job at the library of any school I pick, which is really great!” said Ace, smiling happily

Smoker, blinked, looking surprised

“I didn’t know that last bit”

Ace shrugged

“She told me only yesterday and uh…I didn’t have the chance to talk to you”

_Because you locked me out this morning!_

“Oh” replied Smoker taking another sip of coffee

“What’s your family situation like?” asked Kuzan, taking a sip of water

“Uh, well, my grandpa takes care of me. And I have two brothers, I’m the oldest”

_Suck it, Sabo!_

“No parents?”

“Don’t be an ass, _they died_ ” hissed Smoker, frowning

 “My apologies, I didn’t know” said Kuzan, waving his hand

“No, no, it’s fine! But yeah, I’m an orphan.  Hence the gramp thing”

“ _His grandfather is Garp_ ” pointed out Smoker and Kuzan instantly erupted in a loud laughter

“You’re kidding me? My sympathies, kid, that’s a hard bar to have to live up to”

Ace blinked, that’s not usually what people said about his Gramps

“It’s why I’m going in another direction” teased Ace, making Kuzan laugh more

“Wise choice, kid”

Ace smiled, relaxing a bit, but he couldn’t get rid of the buddle of nerves in his stomach

“Alright guys! Food’s up!” said Makino as she arrived with their meals

Ace smiled at her, letting her know that everything was going well

She winked back

Guess he was worried about nothing!

 

“Ngorb?”

Ace lifted his head from the table, looking around

What was-?

Right he was eating? Shit! Guess he fell asleep!

Ace looking around – _Smoker was gone_! But Kuzan-

He was very much there; in front of him

“Where’s-?”

“Outside. Just left for a smoke”

“Oh...” said Ace, looking outside and seeing Smoker by the side of the building smoking his cigar

“And now that he’s not here to stop me-“ started Kuzan and once again Ace’s blood ran cold

“I know exactly who you are, _Ace D. Gol._ And there is no future in your relationship with Chase whatsoever so do him a favour and _disappear_ ”

Ace stared at Kuzan shocked, not even sure what to say

“O-Oye, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Stop playing dumb. Government’s after your ass, it’s bad enough that you’re underage and a Whitebeard to boot but you’re also a government fugitive. Meaning no matter what, you’re either going to hurt him when you chose your loyalty to your gang over him, get him arrested for statutory rape or ruin his career simply because of his association with you when this all goes public. Either way, there’s nothing worth it in this to make it worth his time or the risks”

Ace could only stare at Kuzan as he kept talking, saying all the things that Ace told himself a million times

“In the end, you’re only going to hurt him. _Chase deserves better than this._ He deserves someone who’s not going to drag him down to the pits of hell with them. But then again, _what else can we expect from the devil’s son?_ ”

All the colour drained from Ace’s face at those words. He didn’t know if he should be angry or upset, so in the end he did the only thing he could do

He ran

He bolted out of the booth, accidentally knocking over the milkshake glass, shattering it to the ground

Kuzan watched silently as Ace looked down at the mess he caused in horror, his limbs shaking as all the eyes in the dinner turned on him

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t me-“

_He couldn’t breathe_

“Of course you didn’t” said Kuzan

And Ace grabbed his bag and ran out, not looking back

 

Ace didn’t know how long he ran for

He just knew that now he was now in front of the Whitebeard mansion, shaking

He had his phone in his hands, having turned it off after the first time it vibrated, not able to handle anything right now

Ace needed a distraction – _and bad_

“Oye! Ace, you done being a lovesick idiot?”

Ace blinked, noticing Marco walking out of the studio with Law in tow. For some reason Law’s hands were bandaged up

“You sure you don’t want a ride? I tattooed you a lot today” offered Marco to Law. Ace watched as Law shook his head

_Oh, that’s why_

“No thanks. Gonna meet up with my friends anyways”                                                        

Ace watched in silence as Law walked off the property and Marco walked up to him

“You coming on the mission tonight, right? I need the 2nd Division there. It’s going to be a rough one and you guys are destructive but fast”

“Uh yeah, man, no problem, it’s why I’m here for” said Ace, still trying to calm himself down

Marco frowned sharply

“You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay? I just ran here from Makino’s man, so I’m a little out of breath” explained Ace as he pushed his hair back, hoping he was shaking as much as he felt that he was

“Where’s your coat?”

Ace blinked, looking down

_Fuck! He forgot his coat at the diner!_

Shit shit shit!

“Uh, I was running dude. I’d get overheated and stuff, you know” defended Ace

Marco hesitated for a moment but then rolled his eyes

“Alright scatterbrain, c’mon, we’re about to discuss the plan”

Ace nodded, following Marco inside the mansion

He was calm. _He could do this._

 

“So you remember where your team needs to go?” asked Marco for like the millionth time

It wasn’t like Ace was spacing out _that bad_

“Yeah yeah, I take security exit E and go down the hall and enter the fifth room and search that warehouse room for vials”

“Good. _Be fucking careful!_ If you get caught in that area, they can secure the building completely in a matter of second and your chances of being caught are _very high_!”

_Marco was starting to be annoying_

“Hey man, if you don’t think I can do this-”

“No you jackass, I think your team is the only one who can do this, just for fuck’s sake, don’t do anything dumb!”

Ace snorted, rolling his eyes

 

“So far so good” muttered one of the men from his team

Ace sighed; it was rather un-guarded for a highly guarded government facility

_-there is no future in your relationship with Chase whatsoever so do him a favour and disappear_

Ace grunted, shaking his head

_Not now!_

“You okay?”

Ace nodded his head

“I’m fine, stop henning on me; it’s bad enough that Marco couldn’t leave me alone”

“Alright, alright”

_Stop playing dumb. Government’s after your ass, it’s bad enough that you’re underaged and a Whitebeard to boot but you’re also a government fugitive_

_Stop_!

_Meaning no matter what, you’re either going to hurt him when you chose your loyalty to your gang over him, get him arrested for statutory rape or ruin his career simply because of his association with you when this all goes public. Either way, there’s nothing worth it in this to make it worth his time_

_Shut up!_

_In the end, you’re only going to hurt him. Chase deserves better than this. He deserves someone who’s not going to drag him down to the pits of hell with them. But then again, what else can we expect from the devil’s son_

Ace snarled, Kuzan’s voice bouncing in his head

He didn’t need to be told all this crap! _He knew it!_

But now he felt bad

Because he had ran out, he hadn’t been able to tell Smoker goodbye, and that, that wasn’t okay

He…He needed to make it up to Smoker

Show him that his time was worth it-!

 

“We’re here!” announced one of his men as they broke the lock and walked in

The warehouse was pretty small so thankfully it would take less time to go through it than they thought – but before Ace would start going through the boxes, he needed to do something real quick

Maybe it would help him calm down

“Okay guys, raid the boxes. You know what we’re looking for; I just got to answ-…send an update text to Marco real quick”

Ace quickly turned on his phone and saw tons of worried text from Smoker

It was warmed his heart

All the texts were of him asking what Kuzan said to make Ace bolt out like that

_And that apparently Makino had slapped Kuzan for upsetting him and kicked him out?!_

Damn Makino!

 

But before Ace could answer, he felt a deep burn in his shoulder causing him to stumble forward as he grabbed his right shoulder, dropping his cell

Ace pulled his hand back from his shoulder, staring at the red liquid on his hand that was now seeping through his shirt

_Blood?!_

_Did he just get shot?!_

Ace turned around and spotted this young looking guard, shaking pretty badly as he held on to his gun

Ace’s expression turned dark as he glared hard at the man

“Keep at it, boys. I’m going to deal with this one”

The guard kept trying to shoot at Ace but this time he was too scared to actually aim properly. Quickly relieving himself in his standard uniform pants as Ace lunged for him, taking him down quickly

“ _You fucking shot me?!”_ yelled Ace as he punched the guard hard with a left hook – the loud clanking of his metal glove echoing through the room as Ace straddled the guard and kept punching him

“I’m going to fucking teach you!” in a moment, Ace’s glove lit up, on fire as he punched the guard again, the man already unconscious as the loud cracking sound filled the room

“ _Ace_ ”

“You piece of fucking shit! I’m so fucking tired of uniformed bastard thinking they can fucking do what they want with me!”

“Ace! We have to go! There’s nothing here!”

Ace kept punching the man, way beyond the point he could stop, he was just so mad at everything

_Fuck authority!_

_Fuck the World Government!_

_Fuck the cops!_

_Fuck this guard!_

_Fuck his parents for bringing him into this world only to leave him alone!_

_Fuck his father for leaving him all alone with his the consequences of his actions!_

_Fuck this world! Fuck everything!_

 

“ACE! STOP!” suddenly someone punched him right in the injured shoulder, causing Ace to fall forward, letting out a cry in pain

“Who the fuck d-“ started Ace as he whipped around, staring right at a worried looking Deuce – who was frowning sharply at him

“Ace! What the hell? C’mon! Let’s go! You’re injured and the guy’s unconscious!”

Ace blinked, his anger dissipating and then he turned to look at the guard

_Holy fuck_

He did a real mess on the guy’s face, his nose is easily rather broken, a few teeth got knocked out, pretty sure he busted a bunch of veins and he was badly burned

Fuck fuck fuck fuck

“Sh-Shit Deuce, I-“

“Just c’mon Ace!” said Deuce, grabbing Ace’s good shoulder and pulled him up

Ace fucked up

_And bad_

 

“ _What the fuck was that?!”_ yelled Marco, his face red, he was furious

They had gotten back to the mansion in one piece thankfully. But Ace was the only injured party and Ace would never want his men to lie for him. So of course when the truth was told to Marco, Marco came to rip him a new one. And because he was in the middle of treatment in the infirmary at the Whitebeard mansion, he couldn’t exactly hide from him

_It’s hard to run when you’re getting stitches done_

“It’s just a nick, that’s what the medical team said anyways” mumbled Ace, not willing to have this conversation right now with Marco

“Ace, _you nearly beat that man to death!”_

“He _shot_ me!”

“Ace, be sure not to apply to much pressure on the shoulder, okay?” said the member of the medical team, smiling “And I’ll give you something so you can sleep off the pain, okay?”

_Such a nice lady, giving him drugs_

“Well maybe you would have fucking noticed him if you weren’t in the fucking middle of texting your goddamn boyfriend! Seriously Ace?! _During a fucking mission_?!” screamed Marco as he waved the phone in Ace’s face

_Fucking hell! The screen was all busted up now!_

“I’M SORRY!” yelled Ace back, getting pissed off

“Stop making his blood pressure go up, Marco! He’s going to rip his stitches and if he does, I’m going to rip a chunk of your hair out!” snapped the medical aid as she handed Ace two pills and a small glass of water

Ace quickly took them, his shoulder was fucking killing him – _nicked or not_

_And now Marco was giving him a fucking headache!_

“Fuck! You’re right! It wasn’t the goddamn time to make that text! I just felt fucking bad okay! I just wanted to say I’m sorry because I ran out of the dinner tonight!”

“Wait, you ran out? What the fuck happened?” asked Marco, his voice now filled with concern instead of anger

Ace closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears

“Can…Can we be alone?” asked Ace in a small voice

Marco nodded, holding out his hand to help Ace up

“Let’s go to your future room, shall we?”

 

Once they got there, Marco helped Ace get changed; him not really allowed to use his right arm was kinda a pain in the ass and got him into the bed, good thing Ace slept in boxers usually

The drugs were starting to hit him hard

“I…his friend, I met his friend tonight and he’s Aokiji Kuzan and he told me that he knows exactly who I am, which means the World Government does and I panicked okay?”

“Ace…You should have told me. I would have never let you go if you were distracted like this”

“I know, I know, I just, I needed to do something else than just wallow and I wound up fucking up bad”

Ace still couldn’t believe he lost it that bad

“Look. Get some rest; we’ll talk more about what we’re going to need to do about this in the morning. One thing’s for sure – _no missions for you until your damn birthday_ ”

“Marco!”

“No. I’m not risking it. I got word that they’re trying to find a way to use you as bait for us and I’m not giving them that chance”

Ace blinked, shocked

“Holy shit”

“You’re staying supervised for the rest of the month, Portgas” stated Marco, with no room for argument as he walked out of the room

 

Ace waited a good while until Marco was good and gone and took his busted up phone from the dresser

He could barely see the screen now, but thankfully he could still text, he needed to text Smoker something, anything -

 

_I’m sorry I love you_

 

-were the only thing Ace managed to text until the drugs knocked him completely out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy to be able to add new characters like Deuce! Have you all been keeping up with the One Piece magazine?? SO MUCH NEW ACE CONTENT! Makes me so happy!!


	75. -LAW- Hard Not To Love Someone Who Fights Injustice (Especially With A Great Right Hook)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all ready for the longest Law chapter I've written so far?? I thought about breaking up in chapters but naw, let's do this!

 

 

_“I swear to god if he texts me one more unhappy face, I’m gonna smash his phone!“_

 

“Luffy’s still mad, huh?”

Law groaned as he kept slapping his thigh softly with the back of his hand – _fuck his tattoos were itchy!_

“He’s not mad per say, he’s just being annoying that we bailed from the ski trip! He still has plenty of time to find people to take our places, _it’s not that hard_!”

“I think it’s more that he wanted to spend _private_ time with you – you guys were sharing a bed you know” pointed out Bepo as they walked into the school

“If you think I’m having sex in the same room as Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper and you guys, _you’re nuts_ ”

Law shivered at the thought – he was many things, _but he wasn’t an exhibitionist_

“Think Zoro and Sanji are gonna do it?” asked Bepo, smirking

“Naw, Sanji weirdly enough isn’t very open about his relationship with Zoro” pointed out Law, honestly if he didn’t know – he would of never have suspected it

“I don’t like lying to Cora, Law” bluntly said Bepo, looking worried

Law sighed, unlocking his locker

_He didn’t want to go back to this topic_

“We have no choice, Bepo. Cora’s gonna be in danger with Doflamingo around and he was ready to ship us off somewhere to get us out of harm’s way. I’m going to protect him – whether he likes it or not! He isn’t going to martyr himself again – not for my sake!” stated Law, putting his things inside the locker and pulled out the books he needed and closed the locker

“Is everything set up in the van?”

“Yessir! It’s hiding under that abandoned quarry by the dock! Fake plates installed, also all the modifications you asked for have been installed by Penguin and Shachi, so we’re in tip top shape, Law!” reported Bepo, grinning

“That’s great news, now let’s go to homeroom”

 

But just as Law and Bepo turned the corner, they saw the Strawhats all huddled in together, looking frustrated – oddly enough even Franky, Robin and Brook were with them

“What’s going on?”

“Torao! Our friend Camie got kidnapped!” said Luffy, looking a mix between upset and mad

_Law didn’t like this look on him_

“Wait? What? Can I get the full story, from the beginning?”

_This was insane_

“Well, see, yesterday there was a series of events and in the end we were at the Sabaody Amusement Park and our friend Camie got taken” explained Nami, looking frustrated, Vivi was clutching her hand, trying to calm her down

Law’s mind was whirling – _the Sabaody Amusement Park sounded so familiar_ , and he couldn’t figure out why

Shit

Why did it ring bells?

“Duval says he hasn’t found anything yet” muttered Sanji, looking furious at his phone

“I think we should skip school today and keep looking for her” suggested Zoro, arms crossed as he leaned against the locker

“No. We agreed to this. It would look too suspicious” pointed out Nami

“I just hope nothing bad has happened to her” said Robin sadly

Shit

_Shit!_

_Now he remembered!_

“Wait, That…That amusement park is a hot bed for human trafficking!” pointed out Law, horrified

 “ _What_?” said the whole group shocked

Law bristled as everyone in the hallway stopped to look at the group

“Can we…discuss this elsewhere?”

“Yes, let’s go to my classroom” suggested Brook “The walls are soundproof!”

 

“So, explain young Law, please, from the top”

Law sighed

“Okay, so technically human trafficking is illegal. But the World Government makes great profit from it, so they look the other way since it’s usually Celestial Dragons or Nobles usually doing the buying and a cut of it goes to the World Government”

“That’s horrible!” cried out Chopper

“So you think Camie-!” started Nami, before clamping her hands on her mouth, horrified

“Probably…Is she…uh…from Fishmen District?” asked Law, trying to remain delicate about the issue

“Yes? What does that have to do with anything?” asked Zoro, frowning

“Well uh, girls from that district are known to uh…go ‘missing’ and not be noticed when they do…or taken too seriously when it’s reported” explained Law, feeling like a total asshole for saying so

Now that he remembered about the amusement park – he was able to connect the dots

“Well _I_ noticed her missing!” yelled Luffy “We have to go find her! We have to go save Camie!”

“You won’t be able to though, not until tomorrow night” pointed out Law

“Tomorrow night? What’s tomorrow night?” asked Usopp

“The auction. Since the auction houses are technically illegal as well as the sale of humans, they’re roving. So they only go live on the 2nd Friday of every month” explained Law

“How do you know all of this, Law?” asked Vivi, looking rather uncomfortable

Law frowned

_No point in lying_

“Because Doflamingo had a hand in these sales and kidnappings…so uh, I was privy to the information”

_I was being prepped to be the right hand man_ -

“Did you ever abduct someone?” asked Sanji, clearly letting his anger get the best of him

“No! I uh…I was too small to do that” admitted Law “You use an adult to steal people”

“So, what’s our chances of getting her back?” asked Franky, crossing his arms, frowning

“Eerr…First you have to find where the auction is taking place and find a way to get invited inside. If they suspect you in any way – you’re not going in” explained Law “It’s really complicated – All I can recommend for now is to try to find the auction house”

The group nodded, their expression serious

“I’m already asking Duval to find it” informed Sanji, punching away on his phone

_Who the fuck is Duval?_

Before anyone else could say a word, the bell rang and the group split up – quickly heading off to their homerooms

 

“Okay, so we have shitton of prep to do”

Penguin and Shachi nodded as Bepo came down to the basement with a large box. Tonight they were at Penguin’s place because he had the house to himself tonight and Law was afraid of Cora walking in on them

“We have less than 24 hours before the auction house opens. We have to locate it and try to get this girl called ‘Camie’ out” explained Law as he leaned over the table in the middle of the room. Bepo went to sit on the couch besides the two other boys as Law sat on a chair across from them

“I’m suspecting that the auction house is going to be located here. It’s in nobody’s territory and it’s close enough to Sabaody district that they don’t have to go far to transport the people they kidnap” explained Law, pointing on a map “But, there’s also the chance they’re in one of these buildings across the district to. The distance between the two is nearly an hour – the auctions only last an hour. We can’t fuck this up”

“Is there any way we can get this info?” asked Penguin, scratching his head

Law frowned

“There is…but it’s…I’ll handle it” promised Law

“Our overalls are ready! They look so cool!” said Penguin, jumping up and going up to the box that Bepo brought down and pulled them out “Aren’t they cool! We’re gonna wear white and Bepo gets orange since he’s the right hand man!”

Law nodded, getting up

“Alright. And the van’s all ready as well? We won’t have time to mess around tomorrow – we’ll have to get right to it since Friday night is when Bepo and I have supper with Cora” explained Law

“It’s all good, boss!” confirmed Shachi

Law smirked – _perfect_

 

“So…did you get the info?” asked Bepo to Law as they sat around the table, waiting for Cora to come with the take-out

“Uh…No. It’s in the filing cabinet upstairs and I haven’t been able to crack Cora’s code” admitted Law

He had been working on it all night and as much as he could before school but he hadn’t been able to crack it!

“Seriously? Law! What are we gonna do?” asked Bepo, freaking out

“I don’t know – if we don’t have the location, we have a 50% chance of failing”

“Can’t we ask the Strawhats to go to the other location?” asked Bepo

Law sighed

“I guess. I just wanted to help out Luffy, you know?”

“What’s going on?” asked Cora as he walked in carrying take-out containers

Law paused – _what did he have to lose?_

“Cora, can I ask you something but you don’t ask me why?”

Cora froze instantly, putting the containers down on the table

“Law. What are you involved in?”

“Listen – _it’s important!_ Luffy’s friend got abducted and we’re pretty sure it’s to be sold off and-“

“You need the address to the auction house that Doffy owns in this area, don’t you?” asked Cora, frowning sharply at the two boys

Bepo eeped, bowing his head down but Law locked eyes with Cora

“Yes. We’re going to try to rescue her”

“Is that why you’ve been playing with my filing cabinet?” asked Cora, still frowning

_Shit! Of course Cora would have safeguards in place!_

“Yes. I’m sorry. I figured I’d do you a favor if you didn’t know” admitted Law

Cora sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck

“You’re right, I don’t want to know. I also refuse to allow you to do this!” declared Cora loudly as he turned his back to both boys and went to the cupboard, slamming it open to take out plates and cutlery

He could feel the anger growing in him – _how could Cora say this to him?!_

Law was about to say something before Cora cut him off

“Law”

“ _What_ ” hissed Law

“Left 10, right 7, left 64”

Law blinked, confused for a moment and then smirked

“I can’t believe you’re forbidding me from doing this!” teased Law, unable to stop his smile from growing

“ _I could never allow my son to do something so illegal like infiltrate an illegal slave trade to save an abduction victim even though the cops should do something about it but we have our damn hands tied!_ ” loudly and theatrically declared Cora as he came back to the table, putting down the plates as Bepo chuckled along to both of them

“Cora?”

“Yes Law?” asked Cora sweetly, trying to hide his own smile

“Thanks for looking out for us”

Cora sighed

“Just…Be safe”

Law nodded as he took a plate

 

“I got the info!” declared Law as he jumped into the van, setting his nodachi between the seats as he put a briefcase on his lap                                                                                                                    

Penguin and Shachi brought it over after they watched Cora leave to go back to the station. Once they saw Law, they jumped into the back seat. Bepo was driving and Law would ride shotgun

“We should be there before 9! Thankfully it doesn’t usually start until around 9:30, so we’ll have time to settle in. We even have the password and about 200k in cash!” explained Bepo happily as Law showed them the suitcase

“W-Why do we have so much money?!” asked Shachi, shocked

“It’s Cora’s…” admitted Law, feeling kinda bad

“ _You stole Cora’s money?!”_ asked Penguin, horrified

“No! Cora kinda…left it for us. On the couch. With a note that said ‘use it well’” admitted Law, smiling

“So…Cora knows that we’re doing tonight?”

“We are openly disobeying Cora’s orders” stated Law

“…But he left you money” pointed out Shachi

“Yep”

“Ooooh, it’s one of _those_ situations!” started Penguin, before grinning “Man, Cora’s great!”

“C’mon! Time to concentrate! We have to get there in good time and stash the van out of sight, so you two keep a lookout for good hiding spots” instructed Law

He only hoped he had enough on him

 

“So, it’s in there?” asked Penguin as he looked around the corner

“Yeah, that small metal door on the side is the only door in and out. Minus the back for merchandise” explained Law as he leaned the nodachi on his shoulder

“C’mon, let’s go”

Bepo, Penguin and Shachi followed behind Law as Law walked towards the door as if he owned the place. Once Law got to the door, he rapped on the door, waiting until the tiny door open

“The fuck are you?” asked the person behind the door

Law merely shrugged

“Here for the show”

“Why the fuck should I let you in?”

“ _Joker told us about this place_ ” stated Law

The man suddenly shut the little door and then unlocked the door, opening it wide for the group

“Come in~! Come in~! Friends of Joker are always welcomed here!”

Law merely walked right in, not even giving the guy at the door a second glance as the three others quietly followed Law in

Once inside, they all looked around. The room looked like a massive auditorium with a massive stage in the front. Law merely took a random row of benches and sat down, not saying a word. The three others quickly scrambled to sit besides Law

“Uh…Who’s Joker?” asked Penguin quietly, the two others tensed up, leaning into Law, waiting for an answer

Law lifted a brow

“Oh, it’s Doflamingo’s black market title. Cora’s notes said that it was usually enough to be let into the auction” explained Law as he carefully looked around

The room was quickly filling up, he was actually rather surprised

It was good to know all these people were fucking garbage

Soon enough everyone started to make a big fuss as these real goofy looking people walking in – everyone was crying ‘Celestial Dragons!’ so Law figured that’s who they were

“Hmm? I know that face…”

Law groaned, of fucking course

“It’s Law Trafalgar …I’ve heard lots of bad stories about him”

Law turned around to flip off Kidd, who merely smirked at him

“And he’s got bad manners”

Guess Kidd was here with his gang? Law couldn’t be bothered to question him and as far as he was concerned – Kidd could stay at the fucking door

Soon enough, the lights dimmed and the show began

Law frowned, all he knew about this girl was that her name was Camie, he hoped that it was enough

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The Monthly Grove 1 Human Grand Auction will now begin!-“

Here we go-

 

The show has already begun and a few people had already been sold off

Law was feeling sick to his stomach, but he couldn’t afford to buy them all

Suddenly he heard a small ruckus behind him but chose to ignore it – it just sounded like another pompous Dragon named Charlos or something

Law couldn’t give a fuck

After a man tried to kill himself on stage, they soon scrambled to try to bring out the next person. Disco came right back onto the stage, trying to play it off as if nothing has happened

“So anyway, number 16, Lacuba, was so nervous that he got a nosebleed! He passed out, so we’ll auction him again at a later date! But ladies and gentlemen, the product I will now introduce will make you forget this trouble in an instant! It’s our greatest start attraction!”

There was a huge cage on stage and suddenly Disco removed the cloth, showing a beautiful young lady with short green hair

“ – I won’t say any more! See for yourselves! From Fish-Man District comes Camie!”

Oh! _That’s Camie!_

Law sat up slightly, getting ready for the opening bid

“ALL RIGHT! THEY’RE SELLING A GIRL FROM FISHMEN DISTRICT! I BID FIVE HUNDRED MILLION!”

Law felt his blood go cold – _shit! He didn’t have nearly that much!_

“T-The hall has fallen silent! Uh…Do I hear…More than 500 million?! If not, the bidding will stop!” announced Disco, still shocked

Fuck!

Fuck!

Law was panicking – he didn’t know what to do!

“Time’s up! Today’s star attraction; the girl from Fish-Man District goes to the World Noble Saint Charlos for 500 million dollars!”

 

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!’

Suddenly there was a huge crash behind them, busting the door in

“LUFFY?!”

Law blinked, looking behind him – wasn’t that Sanji’s vo-

Oh fuck

There was his boyfriend, coming out of the rumble, yelling at a weird dude and a busted up bike that apparently went through the door?!

“COULDN’T YOU HAVE  LANDED A LITTLE BETTER?!”

_Landed!?_

“NO! I HAD TO DIVE IN!”

“HEY CAMIE!” yelled Luffy as he started to bolt down the aisle but was pulled back by a guy who looked like he was from Fish-Man District

“CAMIE! I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU! I’M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU!!”

“No!! Stop, Luffy! What are you going to do?!”

“I’m gonna save Camie!”

“Yes, but she’s wearing an explosive collar! We can’t set her free! Besides, the Celestial Dragons are here”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER”

“EEEEK!!” yelled a man in the crowd

“A man from Fish-Man district?! How disgusting!!”

“I’ll save you, Camie!” yelled Luffy

Law could only stare in shock

“CAMIE ISN’T SOMETHING YOU CAN SELL!”

Suddenly the crowd started yelling and screaming obscenities at the man that came with Luffy, Law scoffed, disgusted with the blatant racism from the crowd

A bunch of workers of the auction house jumped on Luffy, trying to hold him back, Law was about to get up to interfere but -

A loud crack broke through the air, stopping the commotion all at once

_The fucking Dragon had shot Luffy’s companion!_

“MWAHAHA! MWA HA! MWA HA! I GOT HIM! I KILLED THE FISH-MAN!”

Law stayed put, watching the scene unfold – he wanted to do something, _anything_ , but he knew the risk of it right now, and he couldn’t

“FATHER!! LOOK!! I CAUGHT A FISH-MAN!! I CAUGHT HIM MYSELF, SO IT’S FREE, ISN’T IT? WHAT A BARGAIN! A FREE SLAVE! FREE! FREE!”

Luffy suddenly charged towards Charlos, but the shot man grabbed his arm

“Wait…Straw hat.Wait!! No…huff…huff..don’t get…angry. It’s…my…fault”

The man was coughing, his voice weak, only coming through because of the absolute silence in the room

“You promised…not to cross the Celestial Dragons even if someone got shot. I was in a gang once!! This is what I get for the bad things I did! Huff…huff…I’m sorry, I’m sorry! …I didn’t mean for this to happen! I wanted…to make it up to Nami, even just a little…I j-just wanted to h-help you” suddenly the man completely collapsed onto the ground

Law suddenly spotted Nami in the back, her hand over her mouth as she watched in horror

“Hachi…”

Law frowned; the man’s name must be Hachi then

“I’ve always messed up…Everything!! Really. In the end…I caused you trouble. I’m sorry!!”

“STUPID FISHMAN! I SHOT YOU, BUT YOU’RE STILL CHATTERING AWAY!! YOU ANNOY ME!” yelled Charlos

Luffy got up from his kneeling position besides Hachi and stood up, glaring darkly at Charlos

“STOP, STRAW HAT LUFFY!” yelled a small man with beanie “YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH IT!”

The crowd suddenly got very agitated, chattering loudly in suspense

“You annoy me too!” yelled Charlose, shooting at Luffy, making Law tense up

He was about to intervene but Bepo, Penguin and Shachi all pulled him down

“ _Law, no! Not now_!”

And suddenly Luffy winded back and clocked Charlos right in the face, sending him flying back

Law’s jaw dropped

_Luffy just punched a Celestial Dragon across the face_!!

Law was torn between being horrified and _incredibly turned on_

His boyfriend just clocked a Celestial Dragon in the face!

_Boy, this was the wrong time to get hard_

“Sorry guys…Now that I punched him, a World Government Admiral will be bringing a squad back here” said Luffy, looking back at his gang

Huh, looks like they were all there

Minus…Vivi? How come she wasn’t here??

“Because you beat him up first, I didn’t get a chance to slash him” said Zoro, putting one of his swords back in it’s sheath

Nami was on the ground, quietly talking to Hachi, helping him up

“Now then…” said Sanji as he lit a cigarette

“We basically have no choice now” mentioned Franky in passing

“I think the keys to Camie’s collar should be somewhere in the back. I have to tend to Hachi’s wounds – can you go find them?”

“BROTHER CHARLOS!! EVEN FATHER HAS NEVER LAID A HAND ON HIM!” yelled the female Celestial Dragon, catching Law’s attention

“HOW DARE YOU LOWLY COMMONERS TOUCH MY SON!!” screamed the other Celestial Dragon as he started to shoot at Luffy “WE ARE DESCENDED FROM THE CREATORS OF THIS WORLD! YOU’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH US-!”

But soon enough, Sanji kicked the gun right out of his hands, shocking the Celestial Dragon

Well shit – _here we go_

 

Soon enough, a big fight broke out inside the room. People were fleeing left and right as the Strawhat gang attacked the bodyguards who were trying to kill them

Law stayed put with his gang, watching the chaos erupt around them

“-We’ll have to go as soon as we get that bomb off her neck!! The World Government agents and an Admiral are coming!” yelled Luffy

“The World Government Navy’s already here, Straw hat”

Luffy blinked, stopping as he turned around and spotted Law

“Torao!!”

“They were here way before the auction started and were surrounding the hall the entire time” explained Law

_Well, that’s what Cora’s note said anyways_

“What?! Really?!”

“Headquarters has a station post here in Sabaody district” continued Law “I don’t know who they wanted to catch, but they probably never imagined that the Celestial Dragons would get beaten”

“Ooh! Why are you here anyways?” asked Luffy, hugging Law tightly

Law grunted, his face flushed – he was trying to calm himself down and Luffy wasn’t helping!

“I was trying to save your friend discreetly! But in the end, I couldn’t afford to-“

“P-P-PLEASE WAIT, SAINT SHALRIA! THAT MERCHANDISE HASN’T BEEN PAID FOR YET!” pleaded Disco but was shot by Shalria

“SILENCE, COMMONER! I’M GOING TO KILL THE WOMAN THEY’RE AFTER!”

“OH NO! CAMIE!!” yelled out Sanji, horrified

Shalria cocked the gun at Camie grinning ear to ear

“Now die, fish!!!”

Camie looked horried, staring at Shalria, her hands shackled up in a glass cage – but suddenly

Shalria fell to the ground, unconscious

Law stared on, shocked, not sure what just happened but from behind the screen emerged two figures, one drinking from a flask

The man said a few words and suddenly Law saw the people in the front losing consciousness and covered his mouth, signaling to the others to do so as well

Gas?!

Row by row, people started to pass out. Law quickly sniffed the air – there was…nothing? _Then how_?

The man walked up to Camie and somehow quickly removed her collar, throwing it in the air, causing a small explosion

“If that old man was able to knock out all the guards here at once…It means he uses some kind of magic!” exclaimed Usop shocked “Luffy, how do you know him?”

“I don’t know him! Really!!”

“The thing he used is called ‘Haki’ I think…I don’t really understand it either” admitted Hachi, now seeming much better with Chopper’s first aid

“Sorry boys, seems you’re just gangs here for the show” said the old man, grinning

Now Law recognized him! _Holy shit, a living legend!_

“Seeing how you withstood that…you’re all quite strong”

“That was close, I almost passed out” muttered Shachi, holding his head

Law grinned – he understood it now _! It was a drug_! But it only worked when you were in a mode of panic! Since he remained calm – they were fine!

“I didn’t think I’d see such a big name in a place like this…” started Law, grinning

Today couldn’t get more awesome!

“ ‘Dark King’ Rayleigh Silvers!! What’s a living legend doing here?” asked Kidd

Law internally groaned – _he forgot about Kidd for a second_

“I’m just an ordinary coating craftsman on this island. People call me Ray. Don’t call me by that other name. I’m just an old soldier. I only want to live in peace” explained Rayleigh

“You’re not going to die, are you, Hachi?” asked Rayleigh, kneeling besides Hachi “I’ve told you to stay away from this area of the district”

“Nope…Sorry” muttered Hachi

“Thank you. You saved my friend” stated Rayleigh

“So why did you say you wanted to see me?” asked Luffy

Law blinked _– is that what Rayleigh said earlier?_

“Hmm, we’ll talk later! Let’s get out of here first” suggest Rayleigh

“We’re completely surrounded outside, boss” said one of Kidd’s man

Oh fuck

Suddenly a loud voice boomed through the room, coming from outside

_“Release the Roswald Family right now!!! The Admiral will arrive soon so we recommend that you surrender immediately!! We won’t be held responsible for what happens, rookies!!”_

Law rolled his eyes – oh great

“Seems like we’re not even seen as victims, just accomplices”

“I just got to see how crazy Straw Hat Luffy is, the rumours were right! I’ve got no complaints but I don’t want to deal with an Admiral” pointed out Kidd

Law smirked, teach him to underestimate Luffy!

_Man, he was so proud of his boyfriend today!_

“Oh, I’m not going to use Haki again, so you’re on your own. If the World Government finds out who I am, I won’t be able to stay here” explained Rayleigh

“The longer we wait, the more men will gather. So I’m going first” started Kidd as he turned around, his men following him out the door “I’ll just be on my way. I’ll save you guys”

Law could feel the rage bubbling up in him as he glared at Kidd, snarling

“I’ll clean up the mess outside, so you don’t have to worry”

That son of a bitch!

Law got up, quickly making his way to the door, his group following him as Luffy went out the door with him

 

“THERE THEY ARE!” yelled one of the World Government’s men “TAKE AIM!!!”

“Those three are all gang bosses!”

“They’re going to spearhead the attack!”

“You guys can stand back” announced Luffy, crossing his arms

“I’m telling you two to stand back” stated Kidd

“I’ll obliterate you if you tell me what to do again, Eustass” warned Law

Suddenly the World Government men all cocked their guns at them and shot

 

_And the world slowed down_

Law blinked, surprised

He could see every bullet coming at him, as if his sight had gotten super precise

Shifting slightly, every single bullet missed him

Law’s eyes widen – what was this?

_This razor precision?_ As if everything in a specific zone was under a meticulous scrutiny?

Law smirked

_As if it was all under his control_!

Law stepped forward, taking out his nodachi and managed to evade another string of shots carefully and approached a series of the World Government’s men to disarm them

He managed to cut them just enough to get them to drop their weapons but not enough to mutilate them

_What was this?_

Kidd and Luffy were doing their own job, taking down their own people but soon enough everyone had scattered

Law couldn’t say he was surprised. He knew that Kidd produced a weird magnetic charge that drew metal to him and away from him, so he could repulse every gun from aiming at him. And Luffy with his weird rubbery skin, things bounced off of him more than anything. So unless he was shot directly, everything just ricochets off him

They were a weird bunch together

But Law never knew he was able to…control a zone like that?

It was weird

Soon a full-on brawl erupted between the remaining officers and not only the bosses. At this point; The Strawhat gang, Kidd’s gang and the Heart gang had all showed up

During the fight, Law noticed someone that he had noticed up for auction earlier

_Jean Bart, a former gang boss!_

Guess he got captured and made into a fucking slave, disgusting

“You want to come with me, boss Jean Bart?” offered Law

Jean Bart turned around as he knocked a man over his with massive fists – he was a huge man!

“It’s been a while since I’ve been called that. I will gladly work under you in gratitude for freeing me from the Celestial Dragons!” announced Jean Bart

Law chuckled

“Save half of your thanks for the Strawhats”

 

Bepo kicked three guys out of the way, the officers not able to handle him

_“That kid is so quick!! We’re helpless against him!”_

_Man, he was so proud of Bepo too!_

“Hurry up, Bepo!!”

They needed to bail now, not keep fighting – they can’t afford to get caught!

Law took off running, Penguin and Shachi following after him. Bepo and Jean Bart followed behind them

“You’re new here, so you’re under me” declared Bepo to Jean Bart – As if now was the time?!

“I don’t care as long as I’m not a slave” replied Jean Bart

“CAPTAIN! LOOK!!” screamed Shachias he pointed towards Kidd that was fighting with –

Holy fuck

No!

_No!_

“Why is a Warlord here?!” yelled Law, shocked

Cora said that the Summons was for the end of the month?! Why was he already here?!

“Law Trafalgar!!” stated Kuma and Law felt his blood grow cold

“You know my name!”

Suddenly Kuma pulled out a massive grenade launcher and aimed it at them

_Holy fuck!_

Law only barely managed to evade the shot, thankful again for his weird abilities

“CAPTAIN!!” yelled Bepo, clearly scared

“This place is close to the Headquarters! You shouldn’t be surprised by who shows up!” explained Jean Bart

“The military’s coming from behind!!” announced Shachi, him also starting to panic

This was bad, they needed to get out and fast!

“He’s attacking indiscriminately!!” explained Kidd “Trafalgar, you’re getting in my way”

_You fucking with me, Kidd?!_  
  


“You want to get obliterated? I thought I told you not to tell me what to do” started Law “I seem to have met a lot of big names today. I really don’t want to add an admiral to the list”

_Especially since Cora would kill him!_

“We’re going to force our way through, Kuma Bartholomew!” declared Law as he started to run forward

“Follow me everyone! After we go past him, split and meet up at the van!” ordered Law

_They had to make it!_

 

Law huffed slightly as he turned the corner, back against the alley wall

Between Kidd’s men and his own and the overall chaos, Kuma didn’t quite know who to go after

From the looks of it, his team got out as well, thank god

_He didn’t give a shit what happened to Kid_!

Law pulled out his phone, unlocking it and sent out a quick text to Luffy. He hadn’t seen him in a while; he was starting to get worried

 

_Did you get out okay?_

 

Law frowned, looking at his phone, waiting for a sign of life

_Luffy:_

_Yep!! We’re with Rayleigh now! He’s really cool!!_

 

Law smiled at the phone, his shoulders sagging, relieved as he started to make his way towards the van

Soon enough, he got to it. He quickly climbed in, happy to see Bepo in the driver’s seat and Penguin, Shachi and Jean Bart in the back, exchanging introductions

“So, I see you’ve all met Jean Bart?”

“Yeah! He’s gonna stay with Penguin since they’ve been looking for someone to rent the basement room” explained Shachi as Penguin nodded

“Awesome” said Law, trying to catch his breath

“Sooo…how dead are we when Cora finds out about tonight?” asked Bepo as he started driving

“We’d be wise to buy our burial plots tonight” admitted Law

_They were so fucked_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about being slow answering comments and updating the calendar!! Things have been a little rock and roll on my end but I'll catch up this week, I swear!!


	76. -CORAZON- In The Eye of the Hurricane There is Quiet (If Only For a Moment Longer)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're going back to Cora to see how things went on that end! I'm glad everyone seems to have enjoyed the last chapter! It was a little different than usual, but I wanted to mentally place you all to where we're at storyline-wise!

 

 

 

_What the hell did he just witness??_

 

Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon?!

Law, Luffy and this other guy fought off a bunch of World Government agents?!

Law and the other guy broke through Kuma Bartholomew’s defenses?!

Cora saw Law and the others scamper into a yellow van and Cora frowned sharply

_What the hell is that van?!_

Cora quietly and carefully tailed the van in his cruiser, trying as much as possible to not be seen. Soon enough the van drove to the docks and Cora watched the van go under the docks

_The fuck?_

Cora carefully parked his cruiser and by foot made his way down after quickly checking something on his laptop. By the looks of it – it seemed like there was an abandoned quarry down there. Cora climbed down and entered the quarry. _He could feel his blood boiling_

He wasn’t mad _per say_

But Law, Bepo and the others put himself in so much danger tonight that Cora thought he was going to have a heart attack!

 

Soon enough, he heard the muttering of the voices inside the quarry towards a brightly lit area. Cora entered the area and was surprised to see that the inside had been renovated to be a small hideout. There was a big gate that could be slid closed and locked tight but right now it was open, allowing Cora to walk right in

“Man, when Cora finds out about tonight, _we’re so dead_ “ stated Bepo worryingly              

“Look, let’s not worry about it for now and concentrate on getting home without another altercation” explained Law as Penguin, Shachi and Bepo listened carefully to Law and…a big guy?

Who’s the he-

_Isn’t that Jean Bart?!_

“Man, do you think Cora’s going to forgive us for this?” asked Shachi, nervously

“Who’s this Cora you guys keep talking about?” asked Jean Bart, frowning

“Hi, I’m Cora. It’s actually Corazon but Law started calling me Cora and it kinda stuck for everyone!” said Cora happily as he walked up to the group, smiling brightly and waving his hand

 

Cora would be lying if he didn’t enjoy the look on everyone’s face right now (minus Jean Bart, he didn’t seem to really care)

_The others though look like they shit their pants_

“C-CORA?!” yelped Bepo, horrified

“Hi, you guys had a busy night, huh?” said Cora, crossing his arms, a frown on his face

“Here’s your money back, we wound up not being able to use it” Law walked up to Cora, handing him back the suitcase – He was trying to look though but Law also wasn’t able to keep eye contact

“Yeah, I saw. Look, I don’t know exactly what went down since I was outside. But holy shit?? But, I have a question”

“Yeah?” asked Law, swallowing hard

“Did Luffy’s friend get out okay?”

Everyone, but Jean Bart, sighed in relief at the question

“Yeah, Camie got out. Actually, all the slaves got out. Including this guy, I asked him to join us and he agreed” explained Law as he pointed to Jean Bart

“You’re Jean Bart right? Former gang boss? You disappeared a few years ago, sorry to hear you were sold” Cora stuck out his hand, smiling

“Yeah, pleasure to meet you Corazon” said Jean Bart, shaking Cora’s hand

“I’m Law and Bepo’s legal guardian, so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other!”

“Is that why they’re all afraid of disappointing you?” asked Jean Bart, making Cora laugh

“Kinda yeah, but it’s hard to be too mad at a bunch of kids who freed people who were about to be sold into slavery you know? Glad to have another adult on board though!” admitted Cora, chuckling “But now, how about we get these kids home? We’ll talk over beers another time!”

 

“Sooo…you’re not mad?” asked Shachi in a small voice from the back of the patrol van – it was borderline a miracle that everyone could fit

“ _Oh, I’m mad_. Congrats guys. Law has been identified and reported already and so did Luffy and some guy called Kid”

“Ignore him, he’s trash” snapped Law, frowning sharply

“Uh clearly, he killed a few people already” pointed out Cora

Law looked at him completely surprised

“Like… _for real_? I thought he was just bragging or some shit”

_Who brags about murdering pe- nevermind_

“Yep. His bounty is at 315,000,000$ because of it”

Law grunted, crossing his arms, frowning deeply

“Of course that asshole has a higher bounty than me” grumbled Law

_“This isn’t a contest you want to win, Law!!”_ shrieked Cora, horrified at Law’s statement

Cora took a deep breath, trying to regain his patience, _he could do this_

“Jean Bart? What are you going to do now?” asked Cora, looking at the man in the rear-view mirror

Jean Bart raised a brow, surprised that he was addressed

“This guy here said I could rent out his basement apartment” explained Jean Bart as he gestured towards Penguin with his thumb

“You’ll need first and last month’s rent, right? But, you don’t have any money” stated Cora

Jean Bart grunted in confirmation

“O-Oh! It’s okay! I’ll figure out what to say to my parents!” explained Penguin, grinning brightly

“No need, Law, give him the suitcase”

Law blinked, looking down at the suitcase and then looked back up, smiling

“Oh! That’s smart!”

“200,000,500$ should be enough to keep you going for a while and off the streets” Cora hummed softly as Law passed the briefcase back

“That’s an awfully specific amount, Cora” pointed out Bepo, frowning

“It is for a reason. It’s yours and Law’s bail money”

Law blinked, looking at Cora shocked

“What?! Why did you have –“

“In case you guys get arrested or caught, I would have the money ready” explained Cora sighing “It’s not like a bank would just give up that amount right away, so I had it ready just in case”

Law smiled softly, clutching his nodachi that was leaning against his shoulder

“Thank you, Cora”

“Oooh, don’t thank me yet, we’re not home yet”

 

“ _I can’t believe we’re grounded_ ” muttered Law as he ate his supper.

The air in the house has been tense since this morning. When Cora came back home he tore the boys a new one. The panic of the night’s events finally hitting him as he realized that he could have easily have lost both of his children in one night. So the next morning, when they came down for breakfast - he grounded them both until the winter holidays which _Law didn’t take so kindly_

“Well, I have to do some responsible adulting. You have to learn that actions have consequences. And It’s only until school’s out anyways. You should be studying, not going on dates” stated Cora as he took a spoonful of his soup

Today was a bitterly cold day and he just wanted to warm up his insides before his long overnight shift at the station. After last night, he can only imagine the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him. _Especially considering his own ward’s names were on the reports!_

“Aww, it’s not so bad, Law! Like Cora said, we should be studying for exams anyways” said Bepo as he ate his own soup

“Still, we did a good thing” pointed out Law

“Ahh yes, but you also did illegal things to achieve this good thing. Again, actions have consequences”

“ _This is bullshit_ ” muttered Law again; angrily eating his soup “I had a date tonight!”

“Well, tell Luffy that you can’t go because I’m the bad guy who grounded you” Cora frowned

_Law was getting really annoying about this!_

Law whined loudly, surprising Cora – Law usually wasn’t this bad!

“Law’s a little pent up since last night…apparently he uh, _really enjoyed seeing Luffy punch that Celestial Dragon in the face_ ” whispered Bepo to Cora

Cora blinked slowly, trying to process what Bepo had just told him

And then bit his lip, shaking as he tried to hold in his laughter, tearing up

_“Oh my god, Law_ ”

“Bepo you told him!!”

“I’m sorry, Law!!” said Bepo, bowing his head

“ _Oh my god, Law!”_ repeated Cora, now bursting into loud laughter

This was too funny! _He was horny!_

“Shut up! Stop laughing!” yelled Law, his face now a deep scarlet

Cora only laughed harder

 

“-And then he was like, _beat red_!” 

Bellemere laughed loudly as Cora retold the story, even Wiper chuckled a bit!

Cora was right, when he got to the station, there was a mountain of paperwork waiting for him on his desk with a small not that said ‘deal with your brats’ on it written on a post-it

_Thanks, Boss_

Thankfully they were a good crowd tonight, the usual suspects but minus Smoker for some reason. Tashigi said that he was taking an early night due to a meeting

Which is sooo code for a date date date!

Cora was kinda relieved honestly. He was afraid the conversation with Kuzan would have scared Ace off! Honestly, Ace hadn’t come to visit for a couple of days, Smoker holding on to Ace’s coat for some reason. But, soon enough, on Monday, Ace showed up with a coffee, looking like a kicked dog

Smoker didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he gave the other a big hug and then started to berate him on some sort of cryptic text message Ace had sent him. Cora tried to listen in more but Tashigi caught him and totally gave him hell for it all – _oh well!_

“That reminds me of this one time that I caught Nami and Vivi wildly going at it in the hot tub! I just turned on the spot lights – _they were mortified_!”

Cora laughed brightly with them as the stories kept continuing

After the hell that was yesterday, it was nice to be able to relax a bit

Speaking of relaxing a bit, Whitebeard activities have been at an all-time low. After that poor guard was found nearly beaten to death, Cora was thankful for the news.  There was still raids, but they were really in a smaller scale and they seemed more…careful?

Overall, the problem with the reduction in Whitebeard activities was the rise of other gang activities

Many gangs that Cora had only heard in passing were suddenly appearing in Goa. The Kid Gang, the On Air gang, Hawkins gang, Fire Tank gang and the Fallen Monk gang. But also there was a rise in activities with the Bonney Gang and the Drake gang. Honestly it was making him suspicious – were they trying to show off their prowess so they can enter the Warlord program?

It would make sense; it wasn’t exactly a secret that there was two – now _three_ Admirals in town!

Cora got news of Kizaru entering the scene last night.  Thankfully Law, Bepo and the others didn’t come face to face with them

But they did with Kuma Bartholomew though…

Cora groaned, running a hand through his hair, this was going to make him go grey before his time, he swears!

 

Suddenly his phone rang, Cora frowned – _why was the EMS dispatcher calling him?_

“Hello, Goa Police Deparment, how can I help you?”

“Hello, this is Marie, so we just got a dispatch request for an ambulance to the Whitebeard estate but police presence was denied”

Cora frowned sharply – _what?!_

“What was the injuries?!”

“It seems someone got stabbed? A young male. Apparently he was stabbed in the back, the dagger was removed and isn’t present. I asked if the person who did the stabbing was still there, but it seems that they found the victim in the room alone” explained Marie

Cora’s heart stopped

_Was it Ace?!_

“Wait, if police presence was denied – why are you telling me this?” asked Cora

“Oh, because we have a note here that if EMS dispatchers are ever called to the Whitebeard Estate, that we notify the police right away. The note is from Captain Smoker?”

Cora couldn’t help but smile a bit at that – Newgate was getting rather old, Smoker probably wanted to keep an eye on his father’s health

But typically Smoker, _he chose a weird roundabout kinda way to do it_

“Do you know what hospital the ambulance was going to?” asked Cora, grabbing his keys off the table

“Yep, they’re going to the Goa General Hospital – Oh! I have a note here saying that they checked in”

“Perfect! Thank you, Mary; I’ll pass the word along to the Captain!”

Cora finished the call and quickly dialed the Captain’s number – hearing only the Captain’s voicemail message

_Shit!_

_Shit_!

Wait!

 

“Tashigi! The Captain’s on a date with Ace right now, right?”

Everyone in the office got really quiet as they all looked at Tashigi

_Urggh, stupid unsaid secrets that everyone knew_

“Uh…well…”

“A 911 dispatch call was made to the Whitebeard mansion. Young man with a stab wound – I need to know if Ace is safe” stated Cora

_He didn’t have time to fuck around!_

“Ace should be with the Captain, yes” admitted Tashigi, sighly loudly

“Then who-“ started Bellemere as Cora put on his coat

“I’m going to go see – Police request was denied, but I need to know”

Tashigi nodded

“Good. Give us news, okay?”

 

Cora quickly made his way to the hospital. It took everything he had not to put the sirens on! Soon enough he made it and directly made his way to the Emergency ward – only to see that it was filled to the brim with men he recognized

_The Whitebeards!_

Even Newgate Edwards himself was seated in one of those tiny plastic seats – it would be humorous any other time, but the look of grief and helplessness on his face was breaking Cora’s heart

Before Cora could say anything, he felt someone shove him hard against the chest, pushing him back

“ _I said no police presence_!”

 Cora frowned sharply, looking down and spotting a really distraught Marco

“Marco?”

“Leave! Now! You’re not wanted here!” kept yelling Marco as he shoved Cora’s chest again

Cora soon realized that Marco wasn’t seeing him in his distress – he just saw his uniform. Even though it hurt when Marco was shoved him, Cora knew it was coming from the pain that Marco was probably feeling. Cora took off his hat and started to speak calmly

“Marco, it’s me. It’s Rosinante. I’m here in case you guys are in any danger. I’m here because I’m concerned, not here as a cop”

Marco’s actions suddenly stopped as he looked up, recognizing Cora

Shit, he’s clearly been crying

“S-Shit, I’m sorry, I saw the uniform and –“

“It’s okay, you’re clearly in pain. What happened?” asked Cora, speaking softly

“I…I have to go find Ace. I have to go find him _now_ ” stated Marco, trying to move around Cora

Cora in return grabbed his arm, pulling Marco back in

_He needed an answer!_

“Can I help you look? I can bring him back right away if I do!”

Marco hesitated for a moment

“ _I don’t want the police involved_ ”

“I’m offering my service as a friend”

Marco hesitated again, turning to look at Newgate who was watching the situation carefully

“Thatch got stabbed” started Whitebeard

“What?” asked Cora, horrified “Do you know by who?!”

“Yes. _By Teach_. We found the boy in the storeroom, alone and bleeding out.  They’re not sure he’s going to make it. _Teach ran like a coward_ ” explained Whitebeard

“I’ll…I’ll help you guys find Ace” replied Cora, trying to swallow down the lump his throat

 

Cora quickly made his way out of the hospital, getting back in the squad car. Cora quickly scrambled into the car, slamming the door shut and put the keys in the ignition – but he didn’t turn them. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He couldn’t help but associate the situation to one of his boys and the terror was ripping through him

Thatch was a good, nice kid, with a nice smile and a bright laugh

_And now he might die?!_

Cora exhaled, wiping the tears that had formed in his eyes as he turned on his squad car – _he had to go find Ace now_! He had a right to know what was wrong with his friend!

Suddenly he remembered that Ace was on a date and could be _literally anywhere right now_

_Son of a bitch!_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on the calendar RIGHT NOW! So when you click on it, it should be up-to-date (well, November/December) I swear I'll get to filling in Sept/Oct soon! I'm changing jobs right now and opening an online shop too, so I've just uh, been kinda busy! Sorry!! Next week - we're back on Ace!
> 
> Calendar Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PS8kshT169-yidWNebPirXsuow2DJY9Dm1z8F2YSfb8/edit?usp=sharing


	77. -ACE- When a Ballad Turns Into a Requiem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've all stuck around for this long - thank you all so much! We're in the last month of this part of the fic! Hopefully it won't take me a year to finish up this part!

 

 

 

“Ace…can I talk to you for a minute?“

Ace froze as he put on his jacket – _what did Dadan want with him now??_

“What?”

“Listen…” started Dadan, looking uncharacteristically nervous against the doorframe

Ace was running late and he was going to miss his bus at this rate!

“Garp and I have been talking and –“

Ace grimaced; _this could only go so many ways_

“And…we’d like it if you brought that boyfriend of yours over for dinner sometimes. We’d…like to get to properly know him”

“Huh?”

_Wut?_

Ace wasn’t sure he had just heard that properly – did Dadan just ask him to bring his boyfriend over to meet…the family?

Wasn’t that kinda… _too normal for them??_

“Well, you two have been seeing each other for a while…and Garp…yes _Garp_ would be more comfortable if he properly met the man you’re seeing. You know…for security reasons and stuff” explained Dadan, fumbling around everywhere as she rubbed her neck, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation

“Uh…well, I could…ask him, I guess?” offered Ace, not really sure how to respond to the request

Dadan exhaled, relaxing

“Alright, all it’s all I-I mean, _we_ ask, i _t’s all we ask_ …GARP asks!”

Ace snorted, rolling his eyes, but unable to hide the small smile at the corner of his lips

“It’s fine Dadan, I’ll ask”

 

“There you are”

Ace grinned brightly as he jogged up to Smoker, who was waiting for him in front of a small chain bookstore

“Sorry! Dadan totally jumped me at the door and I wound up missing the bus!” explained Ace, grinning still as he looked at Smoker

Even though the dinner together went to literal hell due to Kuzan, they had thankfully reconciled and Smoker gave him a real verbal thrashing for sending out the text. This had been their first date since that night and Ace was happy that he could go into it in good spirits

“Getting kinda nippy, isn’t it” remarked Smoker, looking to the side as a small flush made its way on the man’s face

Ace chuckled softly and moved in close, wrapping his arm around Smoker’s waist. Smoker had such a weird round-a-bout way to ask for Ace to cuddle that Ace couldn’t help but find it really cute

Smoker wrapped his arm around Ace’s back, pulling him closer by his arm. Ace couldn’t hold back the shiver in delight at the action. Since they’re now so close to Ace’s birthday, Smoker seem to be giving less and less of a fuck about who sees them together and Ace couldn’t be happier about it either. It made him feel like they were a real couple, not hiding behind closed doors. One that the whole town could know about and Ace felt so happy about it

“Let’s walk around, it’s a nice night” suggested Smoker, Ace only nodded in agreement, softly inhaling the other’s scent as he nuzzled Smoker softly

It was really a lovely night-!

 

“ _You cannot in a million years get me to go skating!”_

Ace would be annoyed that Smoker was currently making fun of him for being absolutely horrible at skating, but Smoker’s loud booming laughter was too nice to really stay angry

Of course they had to have walked in front of the massive outdoor public rink that was just built in the middle of the town’s square. Apparently skating was something Smoker enjoyed – Ace, uh, _not so much_

“I could teach you” offered Smoker, still chuckling a bit

“Nope! No way! I looked like such a jackass last time I tried to skate that you can’t fucking pay me to try it again!” argued Ace, frowning sharply as he puffed up his cheeks

_He was not going to look like such a jackass in front of his boyfriend! No way!_

“How about I just hold you up as I skate around?” offered Smoker, smirking, clearly very much enjoying finding this out about Ace

“Hmmm” mused Ace outloud – the prospect of Smoker holding him tight for hours on end did seem enjoyable, _but he would be on blasted skates_ “ _Maybe._ But only if you feed me after”

“Deal”

_Oh right_

“Uh, speaking of feeding-“

“Are you hungry again? _We just ate about 30 minutes ago_!” asked Smoker, a little appalled

“No, no!” said Ace, waving his hand to dismiss the idea “Ah…Dadan…well, she asked me to ask you if you’d be willing to come over for dinner one day? To properly meet you and shit. Apparently Garp wants to as well?”

Smoker looked at Ace, completely surprised and didn’t say anything for a moment

Uurggh, _he fucked up!_ _He knew he shouldn’t have mentioned Garp’s name_!

“Sure, we’ll have to figure out a time where it works for everyone” answered Smoker, albeit a bit nervously

_Was he nervous at the prospect of this supper?!_

Ace couldn’t stop the happy grin on his face from growing

“Yeah! Let’s see when we can set that up!”

“Hmm” replied Smoker, but then he looked at Ace with a look that Ace recognized by now very well

“How about we head back to my place now… _to warm up_ ”

Ace bit his lip lightly, groaning slightly

_He knew what that meant-!_

“ _Lead the way, gorgeous_ ”

 

Ace thinks it’s a miracle that they made it to Smoker’s house

Ever since the suggestion, they two had been all over each other. Hands feeling everywhere they could, needy, insistent kisses, pressing against each other at every opportunity and Ace is pretty sure that they almost gave a granny walking her pooch a stroke when she caught them hotly making out against the lamp posts – _oops_!

Ace’s entire body felt on fire right now and he felt like the only thing that could subdue that fire was Smoker. By the time they got inside the house though, Ace’s coat was half off, his shirt had been pulled out of his jeans and even those were unbuttoned by now due to Smoker’s wondering hand

_Man Smoker’s leather gloves felt wonderful on his bare skin_

Apparently Ace wasn’t the only one feeling needy!

Ace pulled Smoker in close by the man’s scarf, kissing him deeply, which Smoker happily returned

“I’m trying to take off my coat, you brat” chided Smoker playfully as he broke the kiss

“Hmm, I can undress you if you want, old man, you’re taking too long~” teased Ace as he quickly threw his own coat on the ground

Smoker snorted, hanging his own coat on the coat rack by the entrance and took off his scarf, hanging it as well

“I’m afraid you’ll damage my clothes”

Ace laughed, grabbing Smoker’s belt and pulled him in so that their chests were now touching

“Well, maybe if I wasn’t so badly wanting you, that wouldn’t be an issue~”

Smoker chuckled low, making a thrill of pleasure run through Ace’s spine as he put his hand on Ace’s shoulder

“Maybe someone needs to learn p-“

Ace never heard the rest of Smoker’s words

Because a searing pain ripped through him as Ace screamed loudly in pain as Smoker’s hand tighten it’s grip on Ace’s shoulder. Ace pulled away from Smoker with a strong jerk, instantly putting his own hand protectively over his shoulder

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck he had forgotten about this fucking shoulder fuck fuck fuck fuck_

 

Smoker looked at Ace completely stunned, not sure what just happened. But then his expression grew dark quickly as he quickly grabbed a handful of Ace’s Henley shirt, tugging on it

“ _Show me_ ”

“H-Hey, no! It’s fine! Don’t worry about it” contested Ace, trying to regain his balance after the initial shock

“ _Show me!”_   howled Smoker, clearly angry as he harshly pulled the shirt off, Ace too surprised at the tone to resist

_Smoker had never spoken to him like that!_

“That’s a bullet wound! A bullet fucking grazed your shoulder?!” yelled Smoker, his expression torn between being shocked, horrified and furious

“Hey, it’s fine, don’t worry about it”

“When the fuck did you get sho-! _That night! The guard-“_

 All the blood drained from Ace’s face

_Of course Smoker knew about it. Of course Smoker would connect the dots so fast. Of course_

“Chase-“

“No, Ace! I can’t…I can’t do this anymore”

“W-What”

Ace was pretty sure he had heard those words in his nightmares

“I can’t keep doing this! I have nightmares at night about having to find you dead in the middle of a gang raid or a shoot-out! I tried to push it aside! _But I can’t anymore_!” yelled Smoker, putting his hand over his eyes as he snarled, trying to regain his emotions. Smoker removed his hand, closing his eyes and inhaling and exhaling, opening his eyes – the fury unmistakably still there

 “It’s only a matter of time until something awful happens to you or I have to arrest you! I don’t want to have to identify you, Ace! Whether it’s in a police lineup at the precinct or in the goddamn morgue!”

Ace starred shocked – Smoker was full-on yelling at the top of his lungs, clearly exploding

_Has he been holding on to this since the beginning?!_

“I-I could get shot in the grocery store-!” desperately argued Ace, he knew it was a weak argument, but right now, he was playing with no cards up his sleeve

“There’s a difference between being an innocent bystander and purposely putting yourself in the line of fire, Ace! Don’t play dumb!” argued Smoker, his face red as his entire body was shaking

“B-“ stuttered Ace, his mind scrambling for some sort of counter-argument

“I can’t stand how callous you are with your own life! Wasting it away for something so fucking stupid like being in a gang!”

“ _Hey hold up!”_ yelled Ace, his anger getting the better of him “ _The same shit could happen to you as a cop! Don’t fucking play that!_ ”

Ace was not going to stand here and have how important the Whitebeards to him downplayed like this!

“ _Don’t even go there, Portgas!”_ snapped Smoker, taking a step forward to lean over Ace, pointing at him “I don’t have the threat of going to jail! Because I stay on the goddamn straight and narrow! Do not compare what I do to _what you goddamn chose to do_!”

Ace stood there shocked – he wasn’t even angry anymore because Smoker was right

_He was so right_

He had done to himself

Ace’s bottom lip started to tremble when the reality of it all dawned upon him

He had no counter-argument for what Smoker was saying to him because it wasn’t an argument

It was statements

“I’m…I’m not worth it, am I?”

Smoker’s fury suddenly calmed down as he groaned, closing his eyes. He pushed his hair back, exhaling as he reopened his eyes. He quickly took two cigars and lit them up, inhaling deeply and then he exhaled again

“No. You’re misunderstanding me. It’s not that you’re not worth it, it’s that you’re worth too much. _You’re too valuable._ I just can’t stand to watch you waste yourself away like this” started Smoker, speaking so calmly and clearly that Ace couldn’t move

_Ace couldn’t say anything_

“Kuzan’s right…I have to…before I get too attached emotionally…more than I already am. And it…destroys me. Ace…I love you, I really do but-”

_Ace couldn’t breathe_

“But… _I can’t do this anymore_ ”

And there it was

The words he had feared for so long

Ace nodded silently as tears suddenly started to fall down his cheeks, surprising him

“I love you Ace…I haven’t been this happy with someone in so long…but you have really heavy baggage”

“Y-You mean me being Ro-“

“No!” roared Smoker, making Ace jerk back slightly, knocking him out of his shock “ _You being one of Whitebeard’s ‘sons’!_ I would never fault you for being Roger’s son! That’s not your fault! But _you chose to be in a gang, Ace._ And I can only imagine how much it helped you, and what it means to you, but Ace…I don’t have the right to ask you to leave it but –“

“…I don’t have the right to ask you to live by my choice either” finished Ace

_Smoker was right_

_This was just too much to ask of the other_

_Marco had been right_

“Ace…I hate to…to end things like this” started Smoker, looking towards the ground, a pained expression on his face

_It was hurting Ace how much this conversation was clearly hurting Smoker_

Ace chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood a bit

“Had I known it was our last date, I would have tried to make it funner” said Ace, trying to force himself to smile

He’s pretty sure he didn’t succeed

“Ace, every date with you was perfect. I want you to succeed in life and be happy. You truly do deserve it” admitted Smoker, himself trying to smile, but like Ace, it came out weak and half-hearted

“You too…I…Thank you, for everything – _really_. It was much more than I ever deserved” said Ace as he dropped to the ground and scrambled to pick up his coat and discarded shirt, quickly putting it all back on

“Ace-!”

“I gotta go. _I gotta go now_ ” muttered Ace as he quickly got dressed, wiping the tears out his eyes – _this wasn’t the time to break down!_

“Do you want me to give you a ri-“

“No! _Please, don’t._ It’s taking all I have right now to not fall apart and I don’t need to be in your car right now, because I fell in love with you in your stupid car so I don’t want to be anywhere near it!” snapped Ace, looking at the ground as he pounced towards the door

Ace bolted, quickly swinging the door open and started to run down the street

He’s pretty sure he heard Smoker call after him, but he couldn’t look behind him

_He couldn’t_

He had just ruined something wonderful in his life

Now he just needed to run, be as far away as possible from Smoker

 

Ace collapsed on the side of a building, in the side alley. It took all of his remaining strength to go down the alley just enough so that people walking by wouldn’t see him. His legs felt like jelly and he wanted to die. His entire body was shaking as Ace let out a loud sob, tears erupting at a great speed down his face as he finally let himself break down. His eyes stung, his vision was blurry from the tears and he could feel the snot running from his nose. But he didn’t care right now

He let out a small whine, shaking as he curled up, bringing his knees up, and hugging them tightly

_It was over_

What he had feared for months finally happen

Smoker had enough – _he couldn’t stand Ace’s bullshit anymore_

He had ruined it, like he ruined everything else

That’s what he was, _an absolute fuck up_

Moments like this he really wishes he had a mom to go to

Just wanted to be held tight and feel safe, loved and wanted

_Just like…Smoker had made him feel…_

Ace let out another pained sob as more tears ran down his cheeks

It took every ounce of Ace’s self-preservation to take out his cell. Shaking, he hit redialed and put the phone to his ear

_He needed help_ , he needed someone he could trust to see him like this

Ace closed his eyes as the dial tone rung and suddenly the line was picked up

“Yeah?”

“Sabo, _please_ , he dumped me, It’s over, I fucked up, I-“

Suddenly the line went dead

Ace blinked, shocked and pulled back the phone from his ear to look at it and was greeted with a very black screen

Of course – _the fucking thing was dead!_

 The battery’s been total shit since he smashed it up during the mission

“FUCK!” yelled Ace as he threw the phone against the small, completely smashing it

Ace exhaled, feeling empty and drained as he continued to struggle to breathe. He looked around; apparently it had started to snow rather hard

He was feeling so raw and torn apart right now that he didn’t even care that he would be buried in snow in no time

Whatever, _he’ll just stay here and die_

It wasn’t like anybody’s lives would be that different if he died, if anything, everyone’s lives would probably be much easier without him

“Sorry Dadan, guess I’m not bringing anyone over for supper” muttered Ace as he closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him

_Nobody could hurt him when he slept_

 

“ACE!”

Ace groaned slightly as he felt someone shaking him

He looked and saw Sabo kneeling in front of him. His face was flushed and panic was clear on the other’s face. He was wearing a thick dark blue coat with a large woolen scarf and his top hat – but Ace would clearly see the build-up of snow on the other

_How long has he been out for?_

“Ace, holy shit, thank god I found you – you’re freezing!” exclaimed Sabo as he pulled Ace into a hug

“S-Sabo?” asked Ace weakly, shaking as he tried to hug the other back

_He was cold?!_

_Sabo felt so nice and warm though…_

“C’mon, we have to get you somewhere to warm up! Shit, what would even be open at this hour?” mumbled Sabo as he forced Ace onto his feet, but Ace only stumbled and fell back to the ground, landing in the pile of snow with a thump

Sabo looked at Ace stunned as Ace laid there

_Of yeah, his legs were aching really bad_

“Just…Just leave me here”

Not even a moment later, Ace made a stunned noise as Sabo’s coat fell on him and Sabo picked him up like a princess and ran out into the street, carrying Ace

“Good! There’s a 24 hour Karaoke place right there!” yelled Sabo as he ran to the door of the karaoke lounge, quickly pushing the door with his back

The woman working the counter stood up shocked as Sabo barged in, carrying Ace

“Hello! Here’s my credit card!” announced Sabo as he slapped the card down somehow as he was carrying Ace

“Uh-Okay?” said the girl, shocked

“I’m reserving a booth for us! For all night! All night! I want that room until I’m good and ready to come out!” explained Sabo further, holding Ace closer to his chest

Ace only slightly shivered in response, his head now pounding

“Aren’t you Robin’s friend? Koala’s boyfriend?” asked the girl, raising a brow

“Huh? Yes!” exclaimed Sabo

The girl went around the counter and led Sabo to the last room down the hall, opening the door for them  

The room was honestly rather garish with red vinyl couches, odd lights flashing in the room and a long wooden table in the middle with tons of binders on them and a few microphones scattered about. The large tv was on the wall at the end of the room

But right now Ace was more concerned with how the hell the girl got her hair to look so square

“I’m Kiwi, Franky’s friend. If you need anything, let me or my sister know, okay? You can call us using the phone there” explained Kiwi, pointing to the phone against the wall in the booth

Sabo only nodded, smiling as he carried Ace into the couches and set him down on the vinyl seat

Ace groaned slightly, holding onto Sabo’s coat tightly as he brought his knees up, trying to curl into a ball

“I’ll bring you guys some warm tea” said Kiwi as she walked out

 

Sabo fussed over Ace as Kiwi came back with the tea and set it down on the table

“You should have just left me there” muttered Ace, closing his eyes again

_He wasn’t in the mood for goddamn karaoke right now_?? What the hell was Sabo thinking?!

“No! I don’t even want to hear that from you!” yelled Sabo fussing through the books of songs and quickly punched in a number a little too aggressively

Ace raised a brow, _did Sabo actually want to sing?_

And then he frowned sharply when “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor came on

“ _Very funny, Sabo_ ” mumbled Ace, curling up on the seat

“Okay, from the top, tell me what happened?” asked Sabo as he softly rubbed Ace’s back

“He dumped me, Sabo. I don’t know what to tell you”

_He felt so tired right, just so goddamn tired from even trying_

“But did he give you a reason?! You were all happy that you had a date tonight, if he asked you out just to dump you, I’m going to have to fucking bash his head in, so you better tell me otherwise before I go murder him”

_Wait what?!_

“It’s not his fault, Sabo! _It’s mine!_ It’s my baggage! It was too much!” protested Ace, not wanting Sabo to go murder Smoker “He saw where I got fucking nicked by that shot last week and he admitted that he kept having nightmares of having to find me dead!  Or having to identify me in a line-up! And he said that he emotionally just couldn’t take it anymore! And I don’t blame him, I don’t blame him at all, Sabo! I’m not worth the trouble!” admitted Ace feeling the tears welling up again in his eyes

_Fuck, he was too tired to cry again_

Sabo listened to Ace quietly, handing the other a handkerchief from his pocket which Ace took, blowing his nose and when he was done, Sabo merely shook his head, punching in another number into the selection pad for the karaoke. A moment later, another song started

_“Dreaming of You” by Selena, Christ Sabo_

“Ace, no. You are so worth it. One day you’ll find someone out there who won’t care that you’re in a gang. That will be able to see past that. He’s a cop; it makes sense that it would be a problem”

“No, I’m so done. There’s nobody in the world who wouldn’t give a shit, unless they were in a gang themselves! Or like, really accepting? Or believes in me and my abilities to not get killed but that I won’t goddamn have to worry about them either! The only person like that would be like… _you_ ”

Sabo cleared his throat, looking away

“Ace. _Do not go there.”_ warned Sabo “True, I do love you, but right now you’re vulnerable and I don’t want to see you hurt because you’re latching on to me because you know I wouldn’t drop you from my life because you’re in a gang. It would end badly for both of us”

Ace sighed, Sabo did have a point there and besides he doesn’t want to lose Sabo as his brother

_That meant more to him than anything, honestly_

“Also I’m nobody’s rebound!” teased Sabo, giving Ace a soft whack on the head              

Ace chuckles softly, smiling a bit

“Sorry, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking saying that”

“It’s okay, like I said; you’re hurt right now and vulnerable. People do dumb shit in those states. But I’m very honored you would have picked me though~!” said Sabo teasingly, grinning

 “Now sit up, drink the tea, you need to warm up”

Ace nodded, sitting up slowly, feeling his body protest as he moved it. He grabbed the tea cup on the table and sipped it slowly, feeling it warm up his insides

It was sorta making him feel a little better – but he still wanted to just curl into a ball

“You’re just going to have to allow yourself to be hurt for a while, Ace. Cry it out, we can talk it out if you want or get plastered too. This place serves booze” pointed out Sabo, pulling out the menu

“Hmm, yeah, maybe.  All I know is that I’m so fucking done with giving myself to people” admitted Ace, closing his eyes

He was in so much pain right now; _he never wanted to feel like this ever again_

The last time he hurt this bad was when he thought Sabo had died

“Ace, no. That’s not the solution!” argued Sabo, slamming his cup down, thankfully it didn’t break

Sabo huffed, groaning as he ran his hand through his hair, knocking his hat off his head

“Okay, this is going to sound horrible to you right now, but from what I understand, it sounds like he dumped you out of love”

Ace paused, looking at Sabo confused

_What the hell was he talking about?!_

“How does that make any fucking sense?!” asked Ace, pissed

“Ace, he loves so much that he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand seeing you in a bad position where he couldn’t help you. So his solution is to distance himself from you, so in case it happens, maybe it wouldn’t hurt him so much. If sounds weird, but it sounds like he dumped you because he just loves you so damn much that he couldn’t deal with the idea of losing you. Basically, it’s self-preservation for him. It’s not on you really, well, it is, but it’s more like, he loved you too much to want to handle losing you, so he burned the bridge himself instead of waiting to see if it might possibly be cut in the future” explained Sabo, smiling sadly

Ace looked at Sabo, not sure what to even say to that

_He really wasn’t sure it made him feel better, he can at least say that much_

_But…maybe, just maybe_

“Do you think…one day…maybe one day…he’ll want me again? Or maybe…we could be friends or something?” asked Ace, a little hopeful as he shifted to lay his head in Sabo’s lap

“I think you need to keep your heart open. You were happy with him, happier than I’ve ever seen you, honestly. It was wonderful to see you swept up in someone like that, knowing that someone out there, loved you for you, wanted to take care of you like that and didn’t care where you came from. It’s going to happen again, but for that to happen, you have to keep your heart open to it. Because you are so so worth it” admitted Sabo, running his hand through Ace’s hair

“Mmatired” replied Ace, feeling drowsy

“Okay, sleep then, I’ll stay here besides you and keep messing with the Karaoke”

“ _You sing Telephone without me, you’re dead, blondie_ ” weakly threatened Ace, his words getting slurred

_Man, getting dumped is more exhausting than Ace ever thought it would be_

“How could I sing that without you as my Beyoncé?”  answered Sabo chuckling “Get some sleep, Ace. We’ll talk more when you wake up, okay?”

Ace nodded softly as he closed his eyes, getting comfortable in his position as he let the drowsiness take over him

The last thing Ace heard was Sabo softly singing

“- _When you’re alone and life is making lonely, you can always go – downtown_ -“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't give any spoilers, but I can say that Ace and Smoker's story isn't over!!


	78. -LAW- I Will Not Shoot The Messenger. I Will Not Shoot The Messenger. I Will Not Shoot The Me-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very glad that the last chapter was more or less received! Now let's go back to Law!

 

 

_“This is such bullshit!”_

Bepo only weakly chuckled in response

They were around the kitchen table, _actually_ reviewing their notes of the semester and _actually_ studying for the upcoming midterms

_You know, instead of going on a date like he was ACTUALLY supposed to be doing!_

“It could have been much worse, Law. Honestly, I thought Cora would get really mad at us when he saw the base and the van, instead he was rather chill about it. I think punishing us just for almost getting arrested or killed is reasonable” explained Bepo as he turned the page in his binder

“ _Hmph!”_ replied Law, frowning and crossing his arms

“It’s weird to see you so unlevel-headed like this, it can’t just be the date thing” pointed out Bepo

Law groaned, pushing his bangs back

_Of course Bepo had figured it out_

“It’s not; Luffy didn’t answer his phone when I tried to call him to tell him our date was off. I left a message but he didn’t call me back” explained Law

“So you’re afraid that he’s going to meet you at the movies anyways and feel stood up or something?”

Law sighed deeply nodding

“Yeah, it’s exactly that”

“Well, when Luffy checks his phone, he’ll see the message right?” assured Bepo “He can’t be that mad”

“But I keep blowing him off” muttered Law, looking down at his Spanish notes

“Ooooh, now I get it”

 

But before either one of them could say another word, the doorbell rang

Bepo and Law blinked, looking at each other

“Were you expecting something?” asked Bepo, surprised

“No? And Cora told us to never answer the door unless we were expecting something or someone”

“Maybe it’s some kid selling chocolate!” pointed out Bepo enthusiastically

“At this hour?? It’s super late”

“Maybe she’s really ambitious, Law! Won’t go home until a shitton of sales are made!” Bepo got up and made his way to the door as the bell ringing got more and more instant

“Yeah and maybe it’s Baby 5 here to plug a bullet in your skull” argued Law, frowning as he followed Bepo, grabbing his Nodanchi along the way, _just in case_

“She can shoot a gun?!” asked Bepo, surprised “Whoah, a cute girl who can shoot!”

“Uh…she’s an artillery expert, Bepo. She can handle literally any weapon with insane precision” explained Law, ignoring the fact that Bepo called her cute

But then he paused, wondering how it was even possible for someone to be so instinctively capable with weapons – _as if she just knew how they worked after watching it only once_

 “Oh”

Law blinked, broken out of his thoughts as Bepo casually opened the door

“It’s Luffy!”             

Law blinked again, looking right at Luffy who was at the door, grinning brightly in his stripped winter coat and still wearing his straw-hat, even in the dead of winter

“Why are you here?”

“Well your message said that you couldn’t come out, so I decided to come over!” explained Luffy happily as he walked in and took off his…sandals

_Luffy, for God’s sake it’s snowing!_

“Uh…Luffy, that’s not how grounding works. It means I can’t have people either” pointed out Law, flushed; he couldn’t believe that Luffy decided to come over!

“I’m sure mister Rosisisi won’t mind at all!” exclaimed Luffy as he shrugged off his coat and hung it up on the coat rack at the door

Law was at a loss to what to even say as Bepo snorted and started going upstairs

“You two kids keep it down, okay! I’m going to go study upstairs!”

“Uh…okay” replied Law, still confused

“And no gross hanky panky on the couch either! I am not explaining a weird stain to Cora!” yelled Bepo from the top floor, _where he was safe the bastard,_ making Law turn bright red

“OYE!”

“I brought a movie! I went to Zoro’s and got the movie we were gonna see!” explained Luffy as he  just made his way to the living room as if he owned the place

_No big deal_

“Uh…how did you get that movie? It just came out”

“Oh, Zoro’s dad gets all the movies ahead of time! For like, promotional reasons or some stuff? I don’t know, I think his sister just demands them”

Law groaned, _that sounded like Perona_

Luffy just sat on the couch, grinning, waiting for Law to join him

But Law hesitated

_He was a little mortified right now_

 

Last night after he got home from the mission, for the first time in a long time, he wanted to sleep alone

Bepo accepted it with no problem and went to his own room

But Law, once he was alone, his face was flushed, groaning as he ran his hand down his own chest, pulling down his boxers with his other hand, freeing his hard dick

Now that he was home, the adrenaline was kicking like nobody’s business and the memories of what happened that night flooded his mind

Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon

_He had never been so incredibly turned-on by Luffy in his life_

Luffy has this warm glow to him, this naivety and such

It always made Law want to take care of him, to make him happy _, to make him feel good_

But seeing Luffy take charge like that, to see Luffy head-strong, not give a fuck, punch out a Celestial Dragon because the bastard fucking deserved it

Especially with that fierce look in Luffy’s eyes

Just set off this… _fire in him_

Law had never masturbated so hard in his life

All night, groaning, curled up onto himself as he stroked himself to completion over and over again, imagining the strong, determined look Luffy had on his face when he punched out that bastard

He had to wash his sheets that night in the sink, unable to sleep on that mess and slightly mortified

And now here was Luffy, on his couch

 

“Yeah…movie, I should go put it on”

Luffy whistled innocently as Law opened the dvd case and frowned

“Luffy…this case is empty”

“Oh is it?”

“…Luffy…why did you give me an empty case?”

“I didn’t know it was empty” _This boy was the worst liar in the world_

“Luffy…why?”

“Well, we never actually watch the movie when we try to watch a movie together…so I figured, why pretend?”

Law never knew he was one to pounce on someone

 

_Apparently Luffy was pent up too_

“ _Law, you were so so cool yesterday_ ” muttered Luffy as he aggressively kissed Law again, Law only groaning into the kiss

Both of them were sprawled on the couch. Luffy was on his back as Law straddled his lap, his fingers entangled into Luffy’s hair

Which was irritating his new tattoos right now, _but he didn’t give a shit right now either_

They were moving in turn, rubbing against each other, knowing very well that they couldn’t go any further right now

Law didn’t feel like actually getting murdered by Cora tonight

Law could feel the slight sting of his lips being swollen from how hard and rough they were kissing each other. Luffy’s hands had slipped under Law’s shirt, feeling Law’s chest, his abdomen muscles, rubbing his thumb on Law’s nipple, making him groan

_Who taught him that_?!

Luffy chuckled slightly at Law’s reaction, making a thrill of pleasure run down Law’s spine

And then Luffy’s hands slowly worked their way lower and lower, the anticipation building up in Law’s stomach – _was he really going to?!_

Luffy started to undo Law’s jeans and Law couldn’t stop grinning into the kiss, so excited at what was to come-

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door

 

Both Law and Luffy instantly broke apart, looking back towards the front door as the banging persisted

_Who the fucking fuck was at the goddamn door?!_

“ _OPEN UP, NOW_!” demanded the voice on the other side of the door

“FUCK YOU!” yelled Law “GO FUCK YOURSELF!”

Suddenly Law heard someone fiddling with the lock and stood up, shocked

_Was the person seriously fucking breaking in?!_

Law hopped over the couch, charged at the door, unlocking it quickly and throwing it wide open; he was so fucking pent-up that whoever was at the door _was going to fucking die_

He can’t say he expected to kill Marco tonight

“What the fuck do you want?!” snapped Law, _just wanting Marco to piss off_

“Is Luffy here?!”

_Yeah, Marco was a fucking dead man_

“Did you seriously fucking come here to come see Luffy? Because I’m going to fucking pluck every single one of those hairs on your head and feed them to you”

Marco glared darkly at Law for a split second. Suddenly grabbing Law by his throat and slammed Law against the wall, holding him up by his throat

Law merely stared in shock, surprised at how easily Marco just manhandled him and squirmed, trying to break Marco’s hold, but was unable to

“Listen here, _I asked you a fucking question_. Is Luffy here? Do I look like I’m in the mood to play these fucking games with you?”

Now that Law got a good look at Marco – the other seemed so…wrecked

His eyes were red and swollen, stress was apparent all over his face _and if looks could kill_

“Torao!” yelled Luffy as he quickly made his way to the door

“Law?!” said Bepo, coming down the stairs “Put him down or I’ll make you, Marco!”

“Luffy! Do you know where Ace is?!” asked Marco as he let go of Law suddenly to face Luffy, startling Law who almost fell to the ground

Thankfully his weird ability kicked in and he was able to make sure his legs were under him and ready to handle his weight as he was dropped

“Ace? He’s on a date tonight too! He’s supposed to be with Smokey! But around this time they’re probably back at Smokey’s place to have sex” explained Luffy as-matter-of-factly

Surprising the hell out of Law _– how did Luffy know that his brother would be having sex by now?!_

“Fuck, I was hoping you wouldn’t say that” muttered Marco “He isn’t answering his fucking cell and when I went over to that bastard’s house, he howled at me that Ace wasn’t there and _threw a fucking beer bottle at my fucking head_ ”

“MAYBE” started Law, pissed “He was pissed off at you and _fucking lied because you were cockblocking!_ ”

_Like you are doing right fucking now_!!

“I stayed on the property after and saw him go back to the living room to down a whole bottle of Jack Daniels, _I’m not blocking shit_ ”

Luffy took out his cellphone and dialed a number, putting the phone to his ear, waiting for the line to be picked up and then put the phone on speaker and brought it down to a level where everyone could hear

“Hello?”

“Hey Koala! Do you know where Ace is? Does Sabo know?” asked Luffy

“Sabo isn’t answering his phone” stated Marco “I tried that”

“ _Sabo doesn’t answer his phone often period_ ” explained Koala frustrated “Unless it’s Luffy or Ace, he screens his calls and calls back when he feels like it”

Law frowned, _what a jerk!_

“But actually, Sabo left in a hurry about an hour ago. Ace called in distress and he left go find him because Ace’s line went dead. But the idiot left his cellphone behind so I can’t reach him either. I tried to call Ace back and got nothing, I think his battery went dead” explained Koala, sighing heavily once more

“FUCK!” yelled Marco, visibly more distressed

It was really weird to see him falling apart like this

“Is Ace in danger?” asked Law

“No. It’s just, I need to relay information to Ace that’s really important” explained Marco, pushing his hair back

“But, if Ace is upset, doesn’t that mean that he probably knows? Maybe he’s trying to find you?” suggested Luffy

“Uh…no” started Koala “Ace clearly said in his message that he got dumped because Sabo yelled ‘Ace just got dumped, I need to find him now’ before he ran off”

Everyone looked at Luffy’s phone visibly stunned at the news

“ _Of fucking course he had to get dumped tonight of all nights!_ Fuck, couldn’t the bastard have waited or done it fucking earlier?!” yelled Marco, stomping his foot, clearly trying to refrain from punching a wall

_Please don’t punch the wall, Cora will murder us_

“You’re never going to find Ace now” explained Luffy, puffing his cheeks “Ace hides when he’s upset because he doesn’t want anyone to see him like that”

Law blinked, not sure what to say either of their comments and clearly neither did Bepo

Marco sighed deeply

“Luffy, if you see Ace, please call me ASAP. It’s really important that I tell him this information” said Marco

“I’ll keep trying to find Sabo, they’re probably together at this point and hiding out somewhere, but I have eyes on the street” stated Koala

“Thank you, Koala. It’s really appreciated. We had a 217 and I need Ace to know”

_217?_

Law frowned, _what was that code for again_?

Guess the Whitebeards used police scanner codes too

_Wait_

_Assault with the intent of murder??_

“Holy shit” replied Koala, shocked herself “10-45C?”

_…is it serious?_ It has to be with how Marco was rather distraught

“Yeah…Critical right now, so we have no idea if Thatch is going to pull through” admitted Marco

_It’s Thatch?!_

“I’m going to hang up now to start calling other people to find them, want me to send him to the hospital if I contact him?”

“Please” replied Marco as Koala hung up

“I’m going to keep looking, if you hear anything-“

Luffy nodded “I’ll call you right away”

“Thank you” said Marco as he walked out without saying another word

 

They were all quiet for a moment before Law sighed deeply as he closed the door

“I guess you want to go look for Ace, huh?”

Luffy nodded

“I’m going to go home and wait for him to come there. He and Sabo might have gone to the tree house” explain Luffy “Come wait with me?”

Luffy took Law’s hand as he made the suggestion, but Law frowned sadly

“I can’t…I’m grounded”

Luffy nodded, leaning up and kissing Law’s cheek

“Okay!” said Luffy as he let go of Law’s hand “I gotta go, we’ll pick up from where we left off next time, okay!”

Law nodded as Luffy left, his heart breaking

“You can’t always be there for him, Law” pointed out Bepo quietly

“I don’t always have to let him down either” pointed out Law as he locked the door, feeling like a total asshole

_What a fucking night_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maaan, Law really can't catch a break, can he?
> 
> Next week, we're going right back to Cora!


	79. -CORAZON-  A Drunk Man’s Words Are A Sober Man’s Thoughts (You Reek Of Booze, My Friend)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now back to Cora! Let's see how he's doing!!

 

 

_“…How is Luffy over if I grounded Law?“_

Cora frowned, staring at the text message in front of him

_Of course Bepo notified him_ , not wanting him to come home and find Luffy there and get mad

. Apparently it had been Luffy’s idea entirely and Law tried explaining to him that he couldn’t come over

Well, he can’t say he was personally too bothered, he had bigger fish to fry right now!

He had been driving around for over an hour now and absolutely no sightings of Ace. Cora had asked at all of Ace’s usually spots and nobody _, literally nobody had seen him_!

Cora groaned, ringing up the station

“Hello?”

“Hey Tashigi, any news on Ace or any sightings to report of him or the Captain?” asked Cora, pushing back his hair as he took a sip of his coffee from his thermos

“Uh…sorta. The Captain texted me saying not to mention Ace’s name in his presence unless it’s relevant to a case”

Cora paused, surprised

_That was…weird_

“Any idea why?” asked Cora, frowning as he took another sip

“Uh…well…One can only assume…” started Tashigi, but Cora could tell by her voice that she was feeling rather uncomfortable

_That they broke up_

“I’m going to go confirm it, okay?” offered Cora as he turned the cruiser on, getting ready to head out

“No! Rosinante! You don’t understand! Do not go over there! Even Hina isn’t going over there right now!” warned Tashigi, panicking

“Yeah,well, I have a kid to find, so I’m going to have to risk it. Thank you, Tashigi”

And Cora cut the call

Cora groaned, now he had to go over to Smoker’s house, but frankly he was a bit uh…

_Scared_

_Yeaaahh_

Taking a deep breath, he started to make his way over

 

“ _Please don’t be having sex please don’t be having sex please don’t be having sex_ ”

Even though Tashigi said they might have broken up, _it didn’t mean they did_ – maybe they had a fight and now they’re making up!

_Honestly, he just really didn’t want to see his boss’ dick_

Cora carefully rang the doorbell, biting his bottom lip and waited for the inevitable

But there was nothing

Cora frowned sharply, looking around – clearly someone was goddamn home! The lights were on and everything! He rang the doorbell again, waiting for an answer

He listened carefully and he could hear a dog whining, he could hear movements, heavy steps in the house

_But not towards the door_

Cora huffed, blowing up his cheeks – _he will not be ignored!_

Here started to aggressively ring the doorbell, knocking on the door at the exact same time

_Ignore this!!_

 

Soon enough, he heard someone stomping towards the door, angrily opening it

And Cora was now face to face with a really furious looking Smoker

_Cora thought that it was only in cartoons that steam could be coming out of someone’s ears_

“WHAT”

“I’m looking for Ace, it’s urgent”

“He ain’t here! Go away! Leave me alone!” howled Smoker as a German Sheppard trotted up to the door, whining as it rubbed it’s head against Smoker’s leg, clearly trying to calm him down

_Cora wasn’t sure how the hell the dog was going to help when the man reeked of booze and was smoking two cigars at once_

But it was sweet of her to try

This must be Justice though!

“No, I’m not leaving; I need to know where Ace is! It’s an emergency and you’re the last person who saw him!” argued Cora, coming forward and forcing himself inside the threshold and slammed the door behind him, making Smoker back up a bit, surprised

“He ain’t here and I don’t know!” growled Smoker, taking a step forward, clearly trying to reclaim his dominance in the conversation

“You two had a date and now Ace is missing and you’re drinking and clearly upset. What the hell happened?!”

_Like, he had an idea, but he wasn’t for sure at this point_

“Listen here, you nosy son of a bitch! _You need to back off and now_!”

“Not until I get my answer!” snapped back Cora, not taking this

“What the fuck is so important that you need to find him right this fucking minute?!”

“ _Thatch got stabbed_. We’re afraid that Ace might be in danger too _, so we need to find him ASAP_ ”

Cora knew he was lying, he didn’t suspect for a moment that Ace’s life was in danger aside from _you know_ , but maybe this would be what set off the other man

“ _What?!_ Who the hell stabbed him?!” asked Smoker, shocked

Cora blinked slowly, surprised that Smoker was concerned about Thatch

“Uh apparently it was Teach Edwards? He’s also missing” explained Cora

But then he jumped as Smoker loudly growled, baring his teeth, Justice started to growl as well

“ _That son of a bitch?!_ I never trusted that fucker! You need to find Ace! _You need to find him now_! That asshole has his fucking eyes on Ace! He’s in danger _! I’m going to fucking kill him!”_ raged on Smoker as he opened his closet door and _pulled out probably the biggest jitte that Cora had ever seen_

“WHoooah there cowboy!” said Cora, stepping in front of Smoker, pushing him back “You can’t have the chief of police drunkenly killing someone! Besides, I lied about the danger part! Marco just wants Ace to know that Thatch got stabbed and he’s in critical care!”

Smoker paused for a moment, glaring at Cora, pointing at him with the jitte

_Oh shit, he can use the damn thing one handed?!_

“You know, I can’t fucking smell you, Trafalgar. I can’t tell what fucking side or who’s fucking side you’re even on!”

Suddenly Cora found himself on the floor, jitte jabbed right into his chest

_How did he get down here so fast?!_

“Huh?” Cora blinked, surprised at the accusation as he lifted his hands up, showing Smoker that he had no intention of fighting back

“You think I don’t fucking know about your new rank with the World Government? That I don’t fucking know about your little dinners and being all chummy chummy with Newgate Edwards? I can’t fucking tell who’s side you’re actually on, _Donquixote_!”

Okay, low blow, _Edwards_

Cora paused for a moment, sighing heavily as he allowed his body to go limp, showing that he wasn’t being hostile at all

_Of course the Captain would be all over this_

“I’m on the side of what’s right, Smoker. And to do the right thing, I will do whatever I can to accomplish that” explained Cora “So if it means accepting a World Government post to get all the intel and play nice with the big gang boss so that he feels he can trust me and I can trust him to keep my kids out of trouble, I’m going to do it”

“So you’d double cross us all, huh?” accused Smoker, jabbing the jitte harder into Cora’s chest

Cora grunted slightly, _man this was getting painful!_

“I have never double-crossed you, Chief. _Ever_.  Because I trust you to always do what’s right, no matter what. We have the same goals, so I don’t need to betray you” admitted Cora

“What about the World Government?”

“I’ve done it once. I stand by what I believe in, not the orders I get”

Smoker kept glaring at Cora, growling slightly for a moment and then he sighed, relaxing as he pulled the jitte off Cora and turned his back to him, turning around with a grunt

“I guess”

“I’m also a giant snoop though! I love knowing everything that’s going on, so being a spy is really great sometimes!” admitted Cora, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his neck and sat up

Smoker rolled his eyes, putting the jitte back in the closet and closed the door and started to make his way into the living room. Cora got up and followed

“It’s super creepy how a man your size barely makes any noise when he moves” pointed out Smoker as he trudged to the living room as Cora followed him, Justice as well

Except she kept looking at Cora warningly

_Nooo, doggie! We have to be friends!_

“Haaa, you have no idea!” Cora cleared his throat, not in the mood to explain his relationship with an akumanomi vial “So, I really need to go find Ace, so if you any clue to where he would be or went, that would be great!”

“I don’t know where he is. He was really upset when he left” admitted Smoker as he plopped down on the couch, rubbing his face with his hands as Justice went up to him, again, trying to comfort the Captain

_It was hard to miss the big collection of booze on the coffee table_

“What happened?”

“Because I ended things between us”

Cora paused, looking at the Captain surprised

_So it was true!_

Ace had looked so happy, so glowing when he went to bring the Captain his coffee this morning

What could have possibly have tor-

_Ah_

_Probably the same reason he would have-_

“Couldn’t stand the nightmares anymore, huh?”

“How did you-?” asked Smoker, looking at Cora shocked

“I’ve been there you know. I am there. I know the signs of someone going through the same thing. I’ve worried for years over someone in a gang. It’s really hard to not constantly imagine the worst day after day. You trust them to take care of themselves, but you never know what’s going to happen. Especially when they put themselves in the line of fire” admitted Cora as he walked over to the couch and sat down besides Smoker, putting a hand on the man’s back

“How did you deal with it?” asked Smoker, still looking down, not really concentrating on anything as he crossed his arms slightly

“Well, for one of them, I stopped caring. I rid myself of all of the love I had for him. The other, I loved him too much. So much that I removed him from that life”

Smoker blinked, turning his head to look at Cora, raising a brow

“One is clearly Law…who’s the other?”

Cora sighed deeply

“Doflamingo. He’s my big brother. Growing up, I loved and admired him. He was always there for me, protected me, made sure I was happy and laughing even though we went through some horrible shit together…But the day he killed our father, he scared me so bad and I ran away. But I still loved him regardless. And I wanted to save him from himself _so bad_ …but when I went undercover, I had to accept that there was nothing to save. That my big brother was a monster. But I had to make him believe that I still loved him, so that he didn’t knew that I had grown to hate him at that point. I had to stop loving him and it was hard to flip that switch when you’ve done something for so long” admitted Cora

His throat and his heart felt heavy. It was weird; he had never admitted all of this to anyone before – not even his mandatory therapist

_It was hard to explain the strong love he used to have for his brother_

“How did you do it?” asked Smoker, frowning “Flip the switch?”

“I fell in love with someone else actually” started Cora, chuckling softly “When I met Law, he was a little angry prick! He treated me like shit and actually _stabbed me_!” explained Cora, raising his dress shirt, untucking it from his pants, to show Smoker the scar “But…I knew it was because he was in so much pain inside and that he was lashing out. The world has ripped everything away from him and he was just, so angry. And suddenly, all I wanted to do was save him! Show him love; bring him to a better place! I got lucky with Law though; it was actually pretty easy to take him away”

“Why? Did he wind up loving you more than Doflamingo? Decided that you have shown him the light and that he should strive for a normal life” asked Smoker, but the sarcasm wasn’t lost on Cora

“Oh no! He was a really small kid due to his illness so it was super easy to just pick him up and take him away!”

“Wait… _you kidnapped him_?” Smoker looked at Cora, completely stunned

“Yeah! _I literally stole him!_ He didn’t have a damn choice and he came kicking and screaming, believe me! He wind up changing his tune a little down the line thankfully! _”_

Smoker kept looking at Cora completely shocked for a moment and suddenly burst into peals of laughter

Cora watched quietly as Smoker howled, laughing hard, tears welling up in his eyes and suddenly Smoker bent forward, head in his hands and Cora ignored the fact that he was sure that he just heard a sob

“I fucking…fucking hell…you… _I didn’t want this_ ”

“I know” said Cora, trying to look anywhere but at the Captain right now, so he chose the ceiling

“He…He would tell me all the time how he felt so safe and happy with me and _I hurt him_ ”

“I know”

“He was this beautiful bright burning sun and I just…I just wanted him to be happy and _instead I devastated him_ ”

“Yeah, but maybe, this is for the best” said Cora, crossing his arms and swinging his leg over his knee, looking forward as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one up using the lighter on the coffee table

_Fuck he needed a drag right now_

“Why the fuck… _Why the fuck would you say that?”_ growled Smoker, looking up, glaring right at Cora

Cora raised a brow; clearly they didn’t break up because they weren’t in love with each other

Making this much more complicated than he thought

_Shit_

_Play it cool, play it cool_

“Because there’s 18 days left until New Years and at least now Ace doesn’t have to worry about his relationship with you on top of everything else” explained Cora as he grabbed one of the bottle of Jack Daniels and unscrewed the cap and took a little nip

“You’re a real bastard when you want to be, Trafalgar!” snapped Smoker “Also you’re on the fucking clock!”

“Naw, I just prioritize well. Right now my concern is those children’s lives” replied Cora as he took out his phone and shot a quick text off to Marco “Also, I think my boss right now isn’t in a state to punish me”

 

_And quickly got one back?_

_Huh._

 

“You sure about that?” warned Smoker, taking his unfinished glass and downing the whiskey

“Sure am, because you tried to assault a minor tonight- You threw a beer bottle at Marco’s head? Good luck trying to punish me now~” pointed out Cora, smirking

Smoker narrowed his eyes, glaring at Cora

“ _How do you know that?”_

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” pointed out Cora

_Like he was going to tell Smoker that Marco just told him that_

“ _That little bastard deserved it!”_ snapped Smoker

“Is there a reason you hate him?” _and he hates you?_

“No” grumbled Smoker, leaning back into the couch “ _He’s just a dumbass son_ ”

Cora lifted a brow

“Are you… _jealous that Edwards adopted him?”_

“ _No_ ” grunted Smoker, frowning, looking away from Cora

“Oh my god, _you so are!”_

Smoker’s face was _completely red now_

_Man this was fun!_

“I am not! _Who gives a shit if my father got himself another son! I don’t give a flying shit!_ ” roared Smoker, making Cora laugh loudly

“Hey waitaminute, wasn’t Edwards going to adopt Ace? Doesn’t that mean you two would be brothers? Man, _that would be of been uh…special_ , maybe it’s a good thing you two ended things!”

“Shut up! Shut up! _I hate you, Trafalgar_ ”

Cora snorted; _guess he had to take care of this kid tonight_

_He was soooo asking for a raise after all this was over_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annd now that's that! We're back to Ace with the next chapter and it will be the next day!
> 
> Now, I just want to make a little note; if for whatever reason I don't update, please check my twitter https://twitter.com/joseethefirst 
> 
> I'll always post updates to what's going on with me there, so I'll be sure to notify around this time if the chapter is going to be delayed or not for whatever reason!
> 
> Also, (oh god, I needed to be talked into this) I now have a ko-fi account! So if you feel like it and want to help me out financially a bit, it's up to you! It's right here! 
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/joseethefirst
> 
> I also have a shop where I started selling my original design! Right now I only have a patch! Feel free to check it out! 
> 
> http://happyakubears.tictail.com/
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading!!


	80. -ACE- I'm Looking For a Man Called Teach (The Bride Will Seem Like A Joy After I’m Through)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Ace now, who's life isn't going to get any easier at this point

 

 

“RA RA RASPUTIN! LOVER OF THE RUSSIAN QUEEN! THERE WAS A CAT THAT WAS REALLY WAS GONE! RA RA RASPUTIN! RUSSIA’S GREATEST LOVE MACHINE! IT WAS A SHAME HOW HE CARRIED OOOOOON“

Ace was screaming at the top of his lungs

_And my god did he know it_

But right now, _he really couldn’t care less_

“-FOR THE QUEEN HE WAS NO WHEELER DEALER! THOUGH SHE’D HEARD THE THINGS HE’D DONE, SHE BELIEVED HE WAS A HOLY HEALER WHO WOULD HEAL HER SON-“

His head was throbbing, he was emotionally drained, hurt beyond belief and kinda drunk – so screaming his head off seemed like the best idea

“-RA RA RASPUTIN RUSSIA’S GREATEST LOVE MACHINE! IT WAS A SHAME HOW HE CARRIED OOOON”

Sabo, _being the best brother ever_ , was yelling his head off with him as they both stupidly danced and thrashed in the karaoke room, not giving a shit about anything

_Okay, the full table of empty drinks might have helped both of them along_

_The place had a rather stocked alcoholic drink menu_

Ace wasn’t sure around what time he woke up, but he didn’t care either

“-FOR POWER BECAME KNOWN TO MORE AND MORE PEOPLE, THE DEMAND TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS OUTRAGEOUS MAN BECAUSE LOUDER AND LOUDER”

_Who cares if Smoker didn’t want him anymore? His loss or some shit_

Ace was just, so over it right now, _so over everything_

“-THOUGH HE WAS A BRUTE, THEY JUST FELL INTO HIS ARMS! THEN ONE NIGHT, SOME MEN OG HIGHER STANDING SET A TRAP, THEY’RE NOT TO BLAME! COME TO VISIT US THEY KEPT DEMANDING AND HE REALLY CA-“

“OW!”

Ace blinked

_Ow?_

“That’s not the line, Sa-!”

Ace blinked again

Sabo was hunched over, holding his head as Koala kept backhanding him over and over again

“I’ve been looking all night for you, you jackass! How could you forget your phone like that?! How could you?! I’m so tired, you’re going to get it, I swear!!”

“You’re interrupting our song!” yelled Ace, not in the mood to deal with this lover’s quarrel

_How dare these assholes flaunt their love in from of him?!_

“How did you even find us?!” asked Sabo, shocked

“This place is owned by Franky! So I asked Robin if she had seen you two knuckleheads and Franky contacted his associates and lo and behold!” explained Koala, slamming her foot down, blowing up her cheeks as she frowned

_Man, she looked completely exhausted_

_What time was it?_

“And you! Why didn’t you answer your fucking phone?!” yelled Koala, pointing to Ace

“I smashed it against a wall, I don’t have a phone anymore” admitted Ace, huffing his cheeks in return

_Okay, maybe he was being a little bratty_

“Well, you better sober the hell up fast and get your ass to the hospital! Marco’s been looking for you all night too! I already told him that I found you two dolts, so get going!”

Ace frowned sharply _– what the fuck was going on_?!

“Why the hospital _? I’m not at risk_ ”

“No! Thatch got stabbed pretty bad last night! He’s in critical condition!”

Ace couldn’t feel the floor anymore

 

Ace shoved the doors of the hospital open as he forced his way in. He ran into the waiting room, ignoring the nurse yelling at him from behind to stop running

“Ace!”

Marco stood up from his chair and ran up to Ace, hugging him tightly

“I’d be so fucking mad right now, but Koala told me that your phone broke! I told you to dump that piece of shit ages ago”

Ace loosely hugged Marco back and then slightly pulled him back, gripping Marco’s arm as he looked at him

“What the fuck happened?!”

Marco paused, the exhaustion and worry obvious on his face

“It’s Thatch…he’s”

“I know, but like, what’s the story here?!” asked Ace, shocked

_Thatch was such a great guy and Ace didn’t understand how the hell he got stabbed_

_Who would do that to Thatch?_

_Was it during his mission?!_

“We found him lying on his stomach in the deposit room. He was lying on his stomach and there was a large stab wound in his back and blood _everywhere_. The door was wide open, so it drew my attention because since when did we ever keep that room’s door open? Last time I saw Thatch he was going in there to drop off the spoils of last night with Teach. An hour later, I find Thatch in that state and Teach is missing”

“… _Teach?”_

_Holy shit_

_Teach had asked to join tonight’s mission_

_Ace had said yes_

_Thatch didn’t see a problem with it_

_Now Thatch was in critical care and Teach was missing_

“Did…did you- was anything taken?!” yelled Ace, horrified

Marco quickly clamped a hand on Ace’s mouth, looking around until people stop staring at them and then he continued, whispering

“We found _it,_ Ace. But…Teach took it”

“As in – ingested it or just physically took it?!” asked Ace, trying to keep his voice low

“We have no idea. We just know that Teach took it with him and probably stabbed Thatch to get his hand on in”

Ace could only see red

“I’m going to go find Teach” declared Ace, turning around and trying to head out of the room

Quickly Marco lunged and grabbed Ace, pulling him back

“ _Like hell you are!”_

“I have to go find Teach! It’s my duty as his commander! _This is my responsibility_!” argued Ace as he struggled against Marco’s hold

“No! It’s too risky right now! I won’t allow it!”

“I have to! The rules are clear on this one! _I have to collect his fucking head!_ ” yelled Ace as he kept struggling against Marco

He’s the one who agreed to let Teach join the job!

_This is his fault!_

Ace grunted when he felt more and more of the Whitebeards come up to them and try to hold Ace back

_Why where they all trying to stop him?!_

“No! Pops doesn’t want to take the chance of anyone of us getting killed! It’s too dangerous, Ace!” yelled Marco, struggling to hold Ace in

“No! I need to go! _This is for Thatch_! How can Thatch get the justice he deserves if we let Teach go free!”

“ _Ace! No! Stop!”_   yelled one voice

“ _Ace! This isn’t worth your life, he’s too strong!_ ” and another

“ _Ace, you can’t take this risk! Not now!_ ” another

“ _You can’t do this Ace!”_

“Ace!”

“Ace!”

“ACE”

“ _WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET!”_

 

Suddenly everyone stopped and then turned around to see not a nurse angry at them for being loud but… _Izo_?

Izo looked wrecked

His hair was undone, in a large knotted mess, disheveled completely, his makeup was streaked all over his face and his clothes looked slept in

Izo’s eyes were red and puffy, he looked utterly exhausted and at his wits end

Ace’s heart instantly broke

“ _This is a hospital!_ This is not how we behave in one!” stated Izo before he stormed off to the other waiting room, closer to the critical patients ward

Ace instantly calmed down, going lax against the hold of everyone holding onto him. They all slowly let him go once they were sure he wouldn’t bolt

“Marco…I need a new phone” stated Ace, looking at the ground, frowning

“If you think I’m stupid enough to let you go alone, Ace, you’re out of your mind” hissed Marco, narrowing his eyes

“Deuce, you want to come with me?”

Ace turned to look at Deuce who walked up to the duo

“Yeah sure, I’ll feel more useful than waiting here”

Marco hesitated for a moment and then sighed, defeated as he took out his credit card from his wallet and handed it over to Ace

“Fine. Deuce, go with Ace to make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid or try to buy a stupid phone. Get him top of the line”

Deuce nodded as he joined Ace

Ace wordlessly nodded as he walked out with Deuce

 

Once they were far enough from the hospital, Deuce sighed loudly

“We’re not actually going phone shopping are we?”

Ace snorted

“We are. If I don’t have a phone, Marco is going to have both our asses and he’s not dumb. He gave you the credit card so he can check exactly when we buy the phone. So, because you’re good at that kind of shit, you’ll pick whatever phone you think is going to work and then we’re going back to the estate and I’ll tell you the reason I really need you for”

Deuce groaned loudly, pushing back his hair

“We’re going into dumb plan territory, aren’t we?”

“Do you doubt that for a second, Deuce? How long have we’ve been together?”

Deuce only snorted at that

Deuce had been the first member to join his original Spade gang.  Ace hadn’t known much about him at the time minus that the other was a runaway from a very well-off family and was a medical school drop –out. In reality, his name wasn’t even Deuce, but he didn’t want to talk ever about his roots and Ace didn’t blame him. All he knew for sure is that Deuce just wanted to be a write and had real skills in engineering

He quickly became Ace’s second hand man and even when they integrated with the Whitebeards, Ace knew he could always count on Deuce. The man was a magnificent strategist and much like Sabo, an incredible engineer – _which is the reason Ace needed him right now_

 

The loud clacking of the garage door as Ace and Deuce slipped into the Whitebeard’s massive garage couldn’t have been louder, making Ace groan

Ace was rather annoyed, the sun was bright as hell, apparently it was now around 10am, and so between the slight hangover and everything else, he wasn’t really in the mood for the loud noise

Everything was finally catching up with him and Ace just felt annoyed at everything

Once they entered the garage, Ace heard a loud mewling from the back of the garage

Ace chuckled, grinning brightly as he opened his arms wide

“Kotatsu! C’mere!”

A lynx ran across the full garage around the vehicles and right into Ace’s arms, making Ace laugh brightly. Ace sat down and Kotatsu curled up into Ace’s lap, purring loudly as Ace happily petted and scratched him

“Oooh, who’s my big baby! You are!”

“Sooo” started Deuce, crossing his arms “What’s your big plan?”

“I want the Stryker in working order” ordered Ace, leaving no room for argument

Deuce blinked, surprised and groaned

“Why didn’t I figure that out myself?”

Deuce made his way over to a small vehicle with a large tarp over it. Once he got there, the removed the black tarp with flames on it to reveal a yellow modified Norton 16H Motorcycle

“You’re going after Teach, aren’t you?” asked Deuce as he walked up to the work desk and pulled out his tool box and brought it up to the bike

“Yep. But Teach is going to have a major head start before I can get going, so I need something fast and all-terrain and I know my Stryker can do it” explained Ace as he kept petting Kotatsu

“Yeah, she also overheats like crazy” pointed out  Deuce

“Which is why I’m the only one who can use it” stated Ace, smirking

He isn’t a fool. Once upon a time, he got stranded in an abandoned factory with no way out of the isolated area in the middle of a winter storm. Originally he found Deuce squatting there but the other was actually as trapped as he was. They had talked for a bit, argued for a bit, and then Ace had found a weird vial, assuming it was a drink, he took half and shared the other half with Deuce – _worst shit he ever drank_

It was an akumanomi

Now Ace’s tolerance to heat was insane – hence why he was the only one who could use the bike that Deuce had restored in that factory. It was just tolerable as a passenger, but when you’re driving, you get the entirety of the heat. Ace figured that’s probably why the World War II era bike had been dumped in that factory – who needs a bike that overheats?

Ace got lucky

“Look, I’ll do it because it’s what you want and I’m not going to argue with you”

“ _Thatch deserves justice_ ” stated Ace, crossing his arms, frowning

“I agree and honestly, this road-trip might do you some real good right now”

Ace frowned sharply

_How did he-_

“No idea what you’re talking about” stated Ace, glaring at Deuce

“Marco told us all that you got dumped and not to bring it up” admitted Deuce as he started to work on the Stryker “But I don’t pussyfoot around you and I don’t intend to start now”

“ _Are you fucking kidding me_?! Since when is my business for the goddamn gossip board?!”

“Oh c’mon Ace, you know it’s something we need to know” replied Deuce, rolling his eyes “You know what your problem is though? You keep attracting goddamn cops, that’s your problem”

Ace lifted a brow, still frowning as he restarted petting the loudly purring lynx

“My real problem is that they won’t let Kotatsu stay in the house”

“Kotatsu scared the shit out of Stefan so bad that the poor thing wouldn’t stop peeing everywhere, Ace”

“ _He just wanted to play!_ ”

“Yeah, but Stefan is like, snack-size to Kotatsu!” replied Deuce “And don’t change the topic!”

“Pfft, what the hell do you mean I keep attracting cops? Chase’s the first guy I ever dated”

“I said ‘ _attracted_ ’ not ‘dated’” Ace rolled his eyes

_Goddamn writers and their fucking word choices and shit_

“Oh god, are you talking about Isuka?”

“You know I am”

Ace snorted, man, now that was a blast from the past

“Remember when she tried to arrest us on the Ferris Wheel at Sabaody Park?”

“Of course I do, you freaking climbed out of the gondola and escaped and _left me there_!”

Ace laughed softly, man, _he hadn’t thought of that in years!_

Little fourteen year-old him got into weird trouble, man

“Maybe you’re right, you want to be my next boyfriend? You’re not a cop, it works, right?”

Deuce snorted and chuckled

“No thanks, I’m very flattered but I’m going to have to respectfully decline. I love you, Ace, but I ain’t going anywhere near your dick or your ass, my friend. But whoever is going to be next, is going to be someone really lucky, I promise you”

Ace sighed loudly

“Yeah sure, Sabo spewed the same crap.  Why are you all so hopeful that I’m going to find someone anyways?”

“Because one day, boss, you will see your own worth as we see it”

Ace blinked, surprised to hear the words from Deuce and then looked down at Kotatsu in his lap

“How about you? You want to be my next boyfriend? When I get my own place down the line you’re gonna live with me anyways!”

Kotatsu merely purred loudly in response, making both men laugh

“You can’t date a lynx, Ace _. I draw the line at writing bestiality_ ”

“Hey hey, nobody asked you to write about me, _you chose to do that yourself!”_

_“_ Do me a favour and keep a log of your time chasing Teach? I’d hate to miss out on that”

“Yeah, I can do that for you. Might help me work some shit out too”

Suddenly it dawned upon Ace that he needed to go collect his dagger from home

_He was going to need it to collect Teach’s fucking head_

Ace couldn’t wait to write that story down

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! I added the pictures of Deuce, Kotatsu and Isuka! They're all from the Ace novel!
> 
> Once again, if an update is delayed for whatever reason, please check joseethefirst on twitter! I'll post a reason why! This fic means a lot to me so I won't forget to update it, but I'm in the process of changing jobs (trying to) so I might lose track of time, but I'm going to try to stay hard to stay on track for all of you!!


	81. -LAW- Add Your Own Background Music To The Training Montage (Please At Least Something that Sounds Cool)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!
> 
> This chapter contains actions that could be constituted as self-harm! It is not the intention but if that is triggering for you, I will use the star system like I do with NC-17 scenes so that you have the ability to skip it!
> 
> WARNING!
> 
> Alright! Let's continue on in our month of December and see what kind of consequences we're dealing with!

 

 

_“Did you hear about Thatch?“_

_“I can’t believe he got stabbed! And at the Whitebeard Estate!”_

_“I heard he lapsed into a coma this weekend! They have no idea if he’ll live!”_

_“What did they expect anyways? That’s what you get for being in a gang!”_

_“Shh! Be quiet! A Whitebeard might hear you!”_

 

Law sighed loudly as he closed his locker

People haven’t stopped gossiping about Thatch all day. It didn’t help that they announced over the intercom today that Sanji was going to take over the Cooking Club until further notice

Or that school assembly they had out of nowhere this morning, reminding everyone about the dangers of organized crime and being associated with it

Law had rolled his eyes to that one

Law had also asked Luffy about his brother – apparently the next day, Ace came home super late and scrambled up inside the treehouse and refused to come inside and keeps not being home

_Clearly he didn’t want anyone to see him_

When Law had seen Ace today, the guy didn’t even pretend he was in anything else but a foul mood.

Everyone left a wide space between themselves and Ace, minus Marco of course, but Izo was also absent all week

Law was kinda missing the nice scent of the perfume that Izo used, it was a weirdly comforting smell

He’s pretty sure his mom used the same stuff

“ _You going to practice?”_ asked Bepo as he followed behind Law “But Cora told us to go straight home, we’re still grounded, remember?”

“He told us to go to school and then go home. Club is part of school” argued Law as he made his way down the hallway, carrying his wrapped up Nodanchi

“…Law, there’s no more club now. Since it’s exam time”

“ _And Cora doesn’t know that_ ”

 

“FUCK!” loudly yelled Law as he hit the ground rather hard

He’s pretty sure he’s going to have a bruise the size of a tennis ball on his ass later

_Zoro got him down again!_

Zoro straightened out for a moment, walking up to Law to offer the other his hand, to help him up

“You’ve gotten much better”

Law snorted, he hope he has after the weeks of extra training he’s been doing!

“Thanks”

“Also, sorry about your date the other day. Luffy told me what happened” explained Zoro

“Urgh, yeah, I still can’t believe he came anyways and that line he pulled on me” stated Law, eyes narrowing slightly, hoping Zoro took the bait

“You mean that stupid line with the empty dvd case actually worked?” exclaimed Zoro, shocked

“Aha! I knew he was put up to it! That was way too smooth for Luffy!” accused Law, completely red

_He still couldn’t believe Luffy had said that to him!_

“Oye! I had nothing to do with it! It was all curly brow! Luffy just came over to borrow the dvd and then said it was funny that he was borrowing it, but that you guys never actually get to watch anything since you always wind up making out! So Love Cook told him to give you that line!” explained Zoro, crossing his arms

Law lifted a brow

_Wasn’t he dating Sanji?_

_Why was he insulting him?_

“If anything though, I wouldn’t be too boastful for figuring out that it wasn’t Luffy who came up with that line – because he told me you fell for it” pointed out Zoro, smirking

_Law was never going to live that one down_

 

“Alright, that should be good enough” muttered Law, trying to move the gurney he just installed in the back of the van – but nope. She was steady as hell

It had been a lot easier to do work in the van now that Cora told them to put it in the garage of their house

Cora had agreed that registering it would be really stupid if they were going to use it for gang activities – but Cora pointed out that he didn’t want anyone who happens to come across it to mess around with the van. Which was a legit fear, so they agreed to move it to the garage

Law looked around in awe at his fully finished mobile hospital. He was really proud of himself, it looked really good and everything was fully stocked and ready for anything. He even had everything he needed in case he needed to perform surgery – which was Law’s main goal

Speaking of-

Law stood up, unbuckling his belt as he did so. He quickly pushed his pants down past his knees and sat down on the gurney

Law reached over and grabbed his prepped IV needle and quickly inserted into his arm, grunting in the process

He waited a few moments to let the liquids go through him before he hooked himself up to the heart monitor

Without even wanting to, his heart beat was getting faster and faster

Law wasn’t sure if it was because of what he was doing – _or because he was afraid of getting caught_

He quickly sanitized the location, a small strip on his thigh and took his scalpel

_It was time_

*

Law brought the scalpel to his thigh and pressed it down – he winced at the first cut but then suddenly it happened again

_Everything slowed down_

He could hear his heart beating in his ears slowly get muffled

He could see every little movement he was doing, hyper aware of everything around him

The pain suddenly disappeared and Law kept pressing the scalpel in

 

Suddenly _, he could see his muscles_

He could see his own muscles moving in his thigh as he breathed in and out – the muscles moving at the same time

He could see his blood pumping, slowly enough for it to be easy enough for him to sponge up

Every movement was slowed down and he felt nothing

_No pain, nothing at all, it was amazing_

*

Law quickly sewed himself up, not wanting to get caught and removed the IV. Once he was done, Law quickly pulled on his pants, but not before noticing all the other incisions he had already done on his legs

Law knew how bad it would look if anyone saw all the cuts and stitch jobs he had all over his body at this point. Forever thankful that Law didn’t have gym this semester and since it was winter time, he had started to wear long pyjama pants to bed and a shirt

The last thing he needed was someone thinking he was self-harming for psychological reasons and trying to get him help

He didn’t need Cora worrying over him like that

 

Law groaned – he did have his last tattoo appointment tomorrow though

 It was weird that Marco had scheduled it on a Tuesday to begin with, but he wasn’t even sure if it was still on after their _uh…confrontation during the weekend_

_Urgh fuck_

Law sighed, looking back down at his scalpel – he knew it worked wonders on himself, but he really wishes he could practice on someone else, honestly

He needed to know if it was only when it concerned himself or it would work if he performed on someone else too – did only his life have to be in danger or is it anytime it happens and the situation is stressful.

“Law! Dinner’s ready!”

Law blinked, looking back at Bepo through the window of the van and smirked, holding up the scalpel

Bepo gave him a horrified look and scrambled off quickly, making Law laugh brightly

 

“I’m surprised you still have an appointment after how you tried to threaten him on Saturday”

Law frowned, glaring at Bepo who quickly ducked his head and apologized

_He didn’t need to hear this again!_

Law sighed, walking up to the mansion

“I got a text to confirm the appointment last night – so, I don’t know why I’d get it if I didn’t have it”

“Maybe it’s automatic?” offered Bepo as they walked up to the tattoo studio’s door

Law knocked on the door and it was quickly opened

Law and Bepo both made surprised noises

_Marco looked like shit_

He was wearing this ratty hoodie, pyjama pants and a tank top. Thankfully it all looked clean enough, but it didn’t look like Marco had put any real work into his appearance and frankly he looked utterly exhausted

Honestly Law wasn’t sure if he should be letting him tattoo him today – but he was also terrified of saying anything to Marco right now

“It’s weird that you’re tattooing on a school night” pointed out Bepo as he walked in

Marco merely shrugged as he started to take his supplies out

“The Whitebeards are on total lockdown until next year, so I need to occupy myself or I’ll go mad. I don’t know what to do with all this free time” admitted Marco as he took out the stencil “Strip”

Law shrugged off his sweater and walked up to the chair, but now it was set up to be more used as a bed

“I’m sorry about what happened to Thatch” mumbled Law as he walked up to Marco and turned around, showing the other his back

Marco sighed, shaking his head as he placed the stencil on Law’s back

“Thanks. The whole situation is pissing me off honestly. I had a bad feeling about it, and I still let that bastard go with Thatch” explained Marco

Law lifted a brow, surprised at how open and honest the other was being

_Shit, Marco must really be in a bad place right now_

“How does it look?” asked Marco as he stepped back

Law looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly

_It was perfect!_

Law couldn’t believe after all this time _– he was finally looking like how he wanted to!_

“Perfect! It’s exactly right”

“Great. Get on the table, let’s get started”

 

“So…not to bring this up again, but what the hell happened anyways? Rumours of all sorts are spreading around the school”

Marco grunted as he kept tattooing, Bepo listening quietly from the couch. Law didn’t believe for a moment that he was _actually_ reading his math book

For one thing, _the damn thing was upside down_

“Basically one of ours turned against us. He stabbed Thatch to get his hand on the akumanomi we’ve been looking for”

Law froze

_No!_

“Waitaminute! _That_ akumanomi?! We need to find him ASAP! He’s going to be the next goddamn Typhoid Mary if we don’t find him!”

Marco pushed down on Law’s back, forcing him back down

“Forget it. Teach has been a member of the Whitebeards longer than I’ve been alive. He’s the one who slashed up Red Hair Shank’s face, for fuck’s sake. He’s too dangerous for you and your Scooby Gang”

“ _Oye_ ” warned Law, not appreciating the comparison

“I mean it. Pops even forbid any of us of going after him. It’s too dangerous and he knows us too well so we wouldn’t be able to get the jump on him anyways”

“So what the hell are you going to do then?” asked Law, trying to scramble his brain for some sort of solution

“Leave him to the authorities. We already put out a police report on him” explained Marco

“Wait, is that why Cora didn’t come home on Friday?” asked Law, surprised

It was a big deal for a gang to put out a police report _– especially on their own gang member_ and Cora didn’t come home until late Saturday morning

“Hmm, partially. He was out helping me find Ace originally but then he texted me to tell me that he had to take care of the Captain and I assumed he just stayed there. We did file the report with him on Sunday though”

_When Thatch lapsed into the coma probably_

_Because now they had to admit to the authorities what happened_

“Because of the break-up, I’m assuming?”

“Yes. Apparently the bastard took it pretty hard even though he’s the one who dumped Ace” replied Marco, annoyance clearly in his voice

Law snorted as he lay on his forearms

_This tattooing session was making him really sleepy_

“Man, you really don’t seem to like the Captain, how come?”

Marco sighed loudly, clearly not enjoying the topic

“Frankly? He hurt Pops and bad. To me that’s more than enough. I understand why the Captain did it, and I understand why he would want to cut ties with his family like that. But, I can’t forgive him for hurting Pops like that. Pops loved him dearly and did everything he could to be the best father possible to that ungrateful brat and that’s his reward? He had to lose his wife and son too? Bullshit”

Then Marco paused, lifting up the tattooing machine

“If someone did that to Corazon, would you forgive them?”

Law paused, mulling it over for a moment

_Would he?_

“No. I wouldn’t. Fuck anyone who hurts Cora like that” admitted Law

“Exactly. And then he goes and hurts Ace like that? I’ve never seen Ace is such a bad place. He’s been moping or angry or a mix of both. We’ve worked so hard here to help Ace come out of his shell and finally be happy and it just takes that big brute to fuck everything up? If he couldn’t be with someone in a gang, he shouldn’t have started to date Ace. I have no reason to like that man; he hasn’t given me a reason to. With Eleanor, that’s three people I care about that he’s hurt so far”

Law grunted slightly when Marco restarted tattooing

“Ace isn’t doing any better, huh?”

“Not really no. But it’s a combination of the break-up and Thatch. Ace feels responsible since Teach was in Ace’s division, so Ace feels that Teach’s behavior is directly his responsibility. He’s being monitored to make sure he doesn’t do anything dumb”

Law frowned

“Is Ace planning on doing something dumb?”

“Ace…Ace is an unmovable force. Once he feels that someone he cares about has been done wrong, he needs to go make things right. Even at the risk of his own life. Pops mentioned weirdly enough that apparently his father was exactly the same way” admitted Marco, chuckling a bit “Ace would be pissed off knowing that though”

Law paused for a moment, trying to think everything over

“Luffy didn’t seem too concerned about Ace doing anything dumb”

“Well of course not, because Luffy would do the same thing, so to him, it isn’t dumb, now is it?” pointed out Marco

_Ah, touché_

“Also, I was told you’re not going on the ski trip anyone? The hell is up with that?”

Law’s eyes shot open _– how the hell did he know that?!_

“Don’t be too surprised. Your boyfriend laments your lack of presence pretty loudly. The second you cancelled on him for the trip, he went to go whine about it to Ace” explained Marco

“Ah. Well, because the Warlords were called, gotta keep an eye on Cora” admitted Law

“How does Corazon feel about that?” asked Marco as he kept working on filling in the design

“Uh…he doesn’t know. We’re gonna go live in the van”

“Going to lie to Corazon? Think that’s smart?” warned Marco

“I told him the same thing!” pipped up Bepo from the couch

Shut up, Bepo!!

“It’s for his own safety! There’s no way that Doflamingo isn’t going to try something!! I’m trying to protect him here!” defended Law

“And if you get killed in the process? How will he feel about your ‘noble sacrifice’?”

Law frowned sharply

“Oye! I’m pretty sure I’m paying you to tattoo me, not be my therapist!” snapped Law, wanting the conversation to end

“Alright, but keep in mind that actions have consequences. We’re learning that first hand right now, just giving you a chance to be smart about your choices” warned Marco

Law only huffed in response

_He didn’t need another goddamn ‘voice of reason’_

 

Law was too busy pretending that a part of him wasn’t terrified of seeing Doflamingo again

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Law officially has all of his tattoos! 
> 
> btw, I TOTALLY fell asleep while they did my back piece! It was weirdly soothing after a while!
> 
> Also a quick thank you to my mom and older sis (science teacher and pre-med) who tolerated my onslaughts of questions for this chapter!
> 
> Going back to Cora next week and progressing further and further along the month of December! Pretty exciting isn't it?
> 
> Once again, you can find at joseethefirst on twitter!


	82. -CORAZON- Becoming Everyone's Guardian Angel Wasn't In the Plans (But At Least I'll Earn My Wings!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cora's having trouble with everything that's going on and is going to start confronting people!

 

 

 

“So the little brat is all moody right now and won’t even tell his beloved grandfather what’s wrong! _Teenagers are so damn difficult!“_

Cora really wishes he knew why Garp was insisting on hanging off of him like this, blathering away at his desk

Granted, it wasn’t like there was many around to entertain Garp either. Luffy was at school and so was Ace, and by the sounds of it, Ace was being distant and moody, which of course, made total sense

In the span of a day, he had lost his boyfriend and his friend got stabbed and is now in intensive care and lapsed into a coma. It would make the most mentally stable person a real mess for a while, so he could only imagine how Ace was taking it

But Cora wasn’t sure how much Garp was actually aware of, so he didn’t want to bring it up

The Captain as well was in a real foul mood since that night. People who didn’t know the Captain would assume that he was just as grumpy as he usually was, but Smoker didn’t have the habit of locking himself inside his office to do paperwork. He loathed the damn thing, but this week he was diligently doing all of it; clearly in an attempt to distract himself

Cora sighed; his heart went out to the both of them

“Huh?! What’s that sigh for? Am I boring you or something?”

Cora blinked, looking up at Garp who seemed… _hurt?_

“Huh? No! Sorry, Law’s on my mind and I’m having a hard time not worrying about him”

It wasn’t a lie per say – _Law was clearly hiding something from him_

At first Cora thought that Law was just still mad at him for grounding him, but it soon became clear that Law was plotting something

Every day he was clearly gearing up that van of his, receiving tons of packages of medical supplies but the worst part was the bandages he kept finding in the trash

Blood soaked bandages tucked away in every trash can

Law probably thought that if he put them under the regular trash that Cora wouldn’t see them but he forgot one major thing

_The distinctive smell of blood_

Law having grown up in a medical environment probably has gotten rather desensitized to it over the years, but Cora on the other hand was trained to seek it out

Out on the field, if you smelled blood, that means someone needed help

Cora was starting to get seriously concerned

_Who was bleeding that much?_

It clearly wasn’t Bepo, the other seemed in perfect shape so the only other option was Law himself

Was Law self-harming?

Cora wanted to confront him about it before it escaladed, but he knew very well that if he messed it up, Law would only withdraw from him

_It was driving him insane!_

“Yeessh, Law, that dumb kid put Luffy in such a tailspin! Luffy keeps whining about how sad he is that Law isn’t coming on the ski trip with him anymore!”

Cora’s eyes widen at Garp’s statement

_Did he just say-!_

“Haha, yeah, sorry about that! Sengoku’s parents really wanted to meet them, you know? And at the ages they’re at, we never know-!” lied Cora, smiling apologetically “I’m sure that Law and Luffy can go on another trip some other time!”

He needed to talk to Law _NOW_!

 

“<Thank you as usual for your business, Trafalgar-san!>”

Cora bowed in return to Izo’s mother as he took the take-out bag

He had decided that if he was going to ask Law questions that might potentially royally piss him off – he might as well butter him up the best he could!

Cora called ahead to the Firefox restaurant to order a large meal to go of many different types of grilled fish and well, _onigiri,_ which were Law’s favourite

“<Ah…Trafalgar-san, you haven’t seen Izo, have you?>”

Cora blinked, surprised

He had seen him at the hospital on Friday night – but that was five days ago!

“<Last I saw him, he was visiting a friend at the hospital? He hasn’t come home since?>” asked Cora, getting worried

Izo’s mother shook her head, sighing deeply

“<No. He hasn’t been going to school either. The school has called me every single day this week>”

“<Do you want me to file a missing person report?>” asked Cora, frowning

Izo’s mother once again shook her head

“<No, it’s alright. He’s a young man, he can take care of himself. I know if something had happened to him, that man in charge of their group would have told me>”

Cora nodded, quickly saying his goodbyes and letting her know that if she changed her mind about the police report to contact him

Cora sighed deeply, running his free hand through his hair

The world was going to hell so fast he was having trouble keeping up

 

“Whoah! Rice balls and so much fish!”

Bepo stared at the spread in awe as Cora set the table

“Can you go get Law, Bepo?” asked Cora, trying to settle his nerves but he was pretty sure his legs were shaking right now

He was getting so nervous, so scared about how Law was going to react – _but cancelling plans they had once looked forward to was usually a sign of depression_

_Was Law hiding a severe depression that well from him?_

_What kind of parent was he to not see the signs?!_

_Had he been so concerned about the other people in his life that he had neglected Law?_

_Had he messed up that badly?_

_How could he ever forgive himself?!_

“Whoah, onigiri and grilled fish? How come? It’s not my birthday!”

Cora turned and looked at Law coming in from the side door leading in from the garage with Bepo in tow

“I…I just wanted to get your favourites tonight, that’s all. Tomorrow, we can do Bepo’s”

“Urgh, that means then we’ll have disgusting pickled plums one night when it’s your turn, yuck” said Law, pretending to throw up as Bepo snorted, slapping his hand on his face to try and contain his laughter

“Hey! _Pickled plums are delicious!_ How dare you!” replied Cora, frowning deeply

_That brat!_

Law chuckled as he sat down, wincing slightly as he made contact with the chair which drew Cora’s attention

And attention to the fact that peeking right under Law’s sleeve, it looked like Law’s forearm was… _wrapped up?_

Why?!

His new tattoo was on his back and even that isn’t wrapped up anymore!!

Law started to eagerly dig in with Bepo as Cora quietly ate, watching the two have a lively discussion but he couldn’t concentrate or even pretend to right now

_He just couldn’t stop worrying over Law_

“Hey…You okay, Cora?” asked Bepo, raising a brow

“Yeah, you’ve been acting weird ever since you came home” added Law, taking another healthy bite of the onigiri “Man, I’m so packing one of these in my lunch for tomorrow”

 

“Why is your arm bandaged up, Law?” snapped Cora, frowning

_Goddamnit Rosinante!! You were supposed to approach this calmly!_

“Huh? Oh, hurt myself during sword fighting club, don’t worry about it” instantly replied Law, not even pretending to be concerned

“They notify the parents when the student get injured, Law” snapped back Cora, slamming his fist on the table

_YOU ARE SCREWING UP, WHAT THE HELL_

Law just shrugged his shoulders as he kept eating

“Guess Brook forgot to tell you, it happens”

Bepo sunk slightly in his seat, looking horrified between the two of them

_And Cora snaps_

“Okay! _That’s it!_ Stop lying to me, you brat! Can’t you see I’m goddamn worried about you?! You’ve been secretive, hiding away in your van for hours on end, you’re distracted, cancelling plans left and right and _now I’m finding bloody bandages in the trash!”_

Law stared at Cora completely shocked, not sure how to even react

And Cora just loudly burst into tears, everything overwhelming him at once

“I’m so so sorry Law that I didn’t notice that you weren’t doing well! What kind of parent am I that I didn’t even notice that you’re depressed and now possibly self-harming! I’m such a shitty caretaker but I’ll do my best, I promise! I’ll do everything I can to help you! I’ll find the best help I possibly can! I’ll find any and every way to accommodate you and help you! I’ll quit my job and spend all the time you need with you, if you need to leave this town, we’ll find a way! Please let me help you, Law, I don’t want to see you in pain like this!”

Law kept staring at Cora as he sobbed, his voice cracking

Cora felt like such an idiot right now as he wiped his tears and snot with his sleeves, not caring right now at all

_His Law was hurting and in pain and he had no idea!_

“Cora…you…you got this all wrong. I’m not self-harming, _I’m practicing_ ”

_Huh?!_

Cora blinked, sniffling as he looked at Law confused

“What?”

Law sighed loudly, getting up and removed his shirt – revealing that he was filled with bandages all over his body. From small gauzes taped on, to full-on bandages wrapped around his limbs. Law went to the one on his forearm that Cora had spotted earlier and unwrapped it – revealing a neatly stitched up cut

“I’m trying to perfect my medical abilities. I know you’re probably going to say that I’ll be doing that stuff once I enter medical school but let’s be honest. I don’t have that kind of luxury right now. I want to be able to help people when necessary and with this ‘war’ coming on, the better I am, the better it is for everyone”

_“Y-You stupid brat!”_ cried Cora, now unbelievably touched by Law’s self-sacrificial act

Law lifted a brow, looking at Cora confused

“Also…I noticed something weird. That night that the World Government troops shot at us, everything slowed down”

Cora frowned, sniffling again “What the hell are you talking about”

“Okay, so it’s like, the entire world slowed down and I was hyperaware of everything around me! Every single bullet slowed down and was visible, so it was super easily to deflect them! So I started experimenting and I realized that if I’m in a high-stress situation, it’s like I have complete control of everything around me. So when I do these incisions on myself, I don’t feel pain, the blood slows down and doesn’t impact my work and everything is just, completely under my control”

Cora listened carefully, trying to comprehend what Law was telling him

Oh!

_OH!_

“The…the akumanomi!”

“Yeah! I think this is what it did to me. We thought that it would just make me able to kick the White Lead Disease to the curb, but now I think it’s more than that. It makes my body hyperaware and capable in stress situations which is perfect for me! But for it to work, I need to be the best doctor possible”

Cora sighed loudly, his stress melting away

“Law, why the hell did you hide this from me?!”

“Uh…because…I didn’t want you…to think I was self-harming” admitted Law, looking sheepish

“ _Well that backfired, didn’t it?!”_ yelled Cora, not impressed

“Yeah, no kidding” said Law, scratching his head “I didn’t mean to worry you, Cora. I’ve been doing it in the van to also check how well it works as a mobile hospital”

“Wait – that’s what you’ve been doing in the van?! Making it into a hospital and trying it out?!” Cora was completely shocked at what he’s been hearing

“Yeah, it’s like a mini version of my mom and dad’s hospital”

Cora didn’t know if he was proud or angry with Law right now

So he took a deep breath

_“It’s not enough, Law”_

“Huh?” said Law and Bepo, shocked

“It’s not enough to just practice on yourself! And that’s a huge strain you’re putting on your body to heal all those wounds at once! How efficient of a doctor can you be if you’re not in tip top shape!” pointed out Cora, shoving a onigiri in his mouth

Now that he wasn’t so worried anymore – he was ravenous!

“Huh!?”

“Eat your damn supper! We’ll talk about this after I eat!”

 

“Damn, this van is really tricked out”

Cora was beyond shocked – it really looked like a mobile surgery ward! He was really impressed with all the work Law had done in the van since he last saw it. Bepo went to go hide, honestly Cora didn’t blame him right now, he and Law did need some time alone together right now

“Tricked out, Cora? Seriously? What century do you think you are?” teased Law, smirking as he crossed his arms

“Shut up, or we’re watching High School Musical for the next three days” warned Cora as he kept looking around the van

“Annnd shutting up”

“Also, you’re forbidden from practicing on yourself for further notice. I want you to use me” ordered Cora

Law jumped, shocked at the offer

“No way! I’m not doing that! You’re a recovering heart transplant patient! I’m not putting your life in danger like that!”

“I have every faith in your abilities Law. Also I’m so big, that you’ll have loads of room to practice!” said Cora, smiling brightly

“B-Bu-“

“No, you’re going to have to learn how to operate on people you care about, Law” pointed out Cora as he sat down on the gurney

“I guess…Yeah, that’s true, huh”

“Also, I’ll see if you can shadow some paramedics once in a while”

“What?! Really?”

“Also, I’m pretty sure medical students practice on pigs, so I’ll see if it’s possible for me to get you some. Or fish, Black Jack practiced his stitching skills on fish if I remember right”

“Who?” asked Law, confused

“And I’m getting you every damn volume of Black Jack” Cora then sighed slightly

“Wow Cora, I didn’t think you’d be…so okay with this”

Cora sighed, shrugging

“You should have come to me in the first place about this, Law, I can be rather accommodating when I’m aware of things”

“I know, I know, I just didn’t want to worry you” admitted sheepishly Law as he rubbed the back of his neck

“ _And look how well that turned out_ ”

“I’m sorry; I’ll let you know next time”

And now that that’s settled

_Here goes_

“You all ready for the ski trip?”

“Uh yeah, we’re going to be taking the van to get to the airport since it can hold everyone and everyone’s gear instead of paying for parking for multiple cars”

Cora frowned sharply

_Law had just lied right to his face?_

_Seriously? After everything?_

But at least now he knows that whatever Law is planning for the time that he should be on the trip – that he’ll be in the van instead

“Hey Cora, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask since yesterday”

“Yeah, go ahead?”

“Marco said that they filed a police report about Thatch’s stabbing, so if you guys go after Teach, are you going to too?”

Cora blinked – _he didn’t realize that Law was worried about Teach_

“I’d like to, personally. But the Captain said that the World Government took the report from them and told us to stay out of it, that it was now a World Government case” explained Cora, rubbing the back of his neck

Honestly the whole thing made him super uncomfortable

“Are they actually going to go after him though?” asked Law “The guy is super dangerous since he stole the akumanomi that turns you into Patient 0 for every outbreak possible”

Cora narrowed his eyes slightly – _how come Law knew all of this?_

“Yeah, I know, it was in the World Government report about the incident” admitted Cora, groaning “And honestly, I’m afraid that the World Government isn’t looking for him to uh…arrest him or anything. It clearly says in the report to bring him back alive and to not…what was the word…’obfuscate him’, meaning they want him of sound mind” explained Cora

Law frowned

“Why the hell would that be something to be concerned with?”

“Easy, it’s code for ‘we want to bargain with him’. Which means they’re not trying to capture him because it’s the right thing to do and he deserves to rot in jail forever, they want to try to deal with him”

“You fucking kidding me?! _Why the hell do they want to bargain with him?”_ snapped Law, shocked

“Honestly? If he could be utilized as a weapon, the World Government would be unstoppable. Also all the information he has on the Whitebeards! He was with the gang for over twenty years! He would be a super useful ally to the World Government” admitted Cora

_Watch they offer the bastard Warlord status_

“I hope someone goes after him and fucking ends him before the World Government gets their hands on him”

Instantly Cora thought of Ace and his blood ran cold

_Shit!_

“Actually, that’s what I’m more afraid of actually happening”

_Please Ace, don’t put that kind of blood on your hands_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So heads up - there /might/ not be a chapter next week! I'm going to try really hard to get it done but I got a new job and I still have to work the other job for another two weeks meaning I'll be working both jobs
> 
> So uh, I'm going to try to write it between working 60 hours next week? I'LL DO MY BEST!
> 
> EDIT: NEVERMIND, I MANAGED TO WRITE IT! WE'RE GOOD FOR NEXT WEEK!


	83. -ACE- Turn It Off! (Find The Box and CRUSH IT!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace has decisions to make that have some rather big consequences, but first, he'll need to empty his heart a little bit

 

 

 

“ _Promise me that I’ll see you on your birthday, Ace_ “

Ace scoffed slightly at Sabo’s concern. It didn’t take a genius to see that Sabo was frustrated right now. He was about to leave for his mission, but he couldn’t stop clutching Ace’s hands – desperate to not let go of him

_As if he’d fly away or something_

Ace feels like he wouldn’t be so annoyed if he hadn’t gotten the same speech from Garp the day before, right before he left as well

“I’ll be fine, I swear. I promise that I’ll be super careful and stuff” muttered Ace, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes

_He didn’t need Sabo also trying to hold him back_

But he also didn’t want to upset Sabo; so frankly, he just wanted this conversation to end

Koala walked up to the pair and gave Ace a quick hug from behind

_She looked really cute in her dark red outfit!_

“We’ll miss you very much! Be good, okay? We want to see you in tip-top shape on the 1rst! We’ll bring you a big cake, okay!”

Ace chuckled slightly

“Hey, you’re all worried about me, but you two are the ones going to an active war zone!” reminded Ace, frowning

“We’ll be fine! If all goes well, it won’t be an active war zone when we’re done with it!” boasted Koala proudly as she let go of Ace

“Look at you guys, changing the world” said Ace in awe

No matter what, he was always proud of his family, _they were truly really good people, no matter what the law says_

“We do what we can! C’mon Sabo, we have to go, the ship is leaving shortly and we can’t miss it” warned Koala as she tugged slightly at Sabo’s sleeve

Sabo frowned, pulling Ace into a tight hug. Ace could feel the leather of Sabo’s gloves digging into his back

_Please Sabo, you’re making this so difficult_

“Please please please don’t do anything stupid, Ace. I know, I know how badly you must want to go after Teach, but he’s so dangerous! I just, I just got you back in my life, Ace. I don’t want to lose you again!” whispered Sabo in Ace’s ear, clinging on to him tighter “I have such a bad feeling in my stomach; I need you to promise me that you’ll do what you can to stay safe”

Ace sighed in relief

_Sabo didn’t tell him not to go after Teach – but to be careful_

Sabo clearly understood that Ace was going to go after him no matter what and Ace thoroughly appreciated it

“I’ll do my best, Sabo, it’s all I can promise” answered Ace and Sabo pulled back, holding Ace’s face in his hands

“It’s all I can ask”

“Sabo” said Koala, her voice tense – _they really needed to go_

Sabo merely nodded, pulling away from Ace

“I’ll miss you, I’m sorry I can’t contact you while I’m gone”

“It’s okay, I don’t think I’d be able to contact you anyways”

_Ace really hoped he got to see his brother again_

 

Ace wiped a tear away that fell once Sabo and Koala had left – Sabo wasn’t the only person with a bad feeling in his stomach

_But Ace wasn’t sure if it was about himself or Sabo, he was hoping it was himself_

Ace quickly made his way to the Whitebeard mansion, going straight for the garage. He quickly opened the small side door and quietly walked in – not wanting his presence heard

Deuce barely looked up from his spot on the floor besides the Stryker, as he kept working on the bike, installing tires that would work well in the snow

“How is she?” asked Ace, looking around – Kotatsu quickly trotted up to Ace, rubbing his head against Ace’s leg

“Really good, I’m just about done and she should be good to go”

“Great” replied Ace as he grabbed the bags he had stashed in the back of the garage under a barely used car that was kept there and walked up to the bike

He chucked off his winter coat, quickly stashing it in one of the motorcycle bags. Ace stretched out his arms, now only wearing a thin black tank top. He quickly put on his yellow motorcycle jacket and pulled out his beaded necklace, not wanting it pressed against his collarbone as he drove and slipped off his sweatpants. He quickly slipped on his enforced motorcycle shorts and put a pair of black jeans over them, slipping back on his leather boots

“You leaving today, right?”

“Yep, as soon as I can, I’m out of here. I’ve been trying to track a route that the asshole might have taken, and it seems he’s hitting up a lot of nearby towns”

“Oh yeah? How you figure?”

“I’ve been calling every place that sold cherry pies and described him over the phone – so I was able to more or less track his movements” admitted Ace, pulling out a very worn out paper map from his leather jacket pocket, showing it to Deuce

Deuce frowned and stood up, walking up to Ace. He grabbed the map and looked it over, frowning even more

Since Deuce had been his tactician when they were the Spade gang, he wanted the other’s input

“ _Where the fuck is he even going?”_ pointed out Deuce

_Of good, he isn’t the only one confused_

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere in particular, to be honest. I feel like he’s just fucking around” stated Ace as he took the map back from Deuce and folded it up, tucking it inside his jacket’s interior pocket

“Or he’s setting up a trap, Ace” pointed out Deuce, frowning sharply “Ace, be really goddamn careful. I wouldn’t put it past Teach to set up an elaborate trap like this. He’s not an idiot – he probably knows you’re going to go collect his head. He’s sticking around way too close for someone who’s supposed to be on the run”

“I know” said Ace as he started to set up the bags on the bike “But it’s a chance I need to take, Thatch deserves justice! You’ll text me if there are any changes in his condition, right?”

Deuce crossed his arms and nodded

“Of course I will, don’t worry about it – but Ace, you sure about this? Marco’s going to be really fucking mad”

“It’s a chance I need to take”

 

“ _Are you both fucking kidding me?!”_

Deuce and Ace both whipped around, only to see an absolutely furious looking Marco at the door. Kotatsu instantly put himself in front of Ace, hissing at Marco

_Damn! Kotatsu usually wasn’t that brave_

“I fucking knew it! You dropped the fucking issue of going after Teach too fucking fast! Ace, you fucking idiot! _We told you no!”_

Ace groaned, rolling his eyes – _damnit! He was hoping to leave before he was caught!_

“Look Marco, the rules are clear about this; it’s my duty as Commander of the 2nd Division to discipline the men under me! Teach stabbed Thatch, with the intention to kill him! Meaning it’s my duty to discipline him and the rules are also really clear on that one – I have to collect his fucking head!” announced Ace, getting on the motorcycle

“And I’m going to remind you that Pops said no and to drop it!” yelled Marco as he quickly made his way to the bike, covering the ignition switch with his hand and standing in front of the bike

_Goddamnit Marco!_

“This is my responsibility! I’m not going to let Thatch’s would-be-murderer go free! Y _ou fucking hear me?!_ Especially not when _I’m the one who agreed to let Teach go on that mission with Thatch!_ ”

“Ace…” started Marco, but then he turned his head and glared at Deuce “And you! How dare you do this! Help him out of this stupid whim of his! You should have known better and warned me about it!”

Deuce merely shrugged, his expression staying neutral

“I’m Ace’s right hand man first and above all, Marco. I’m loyal to the Whitebeards, but mostly because I’m loyal to Ace”

Ace couldn’t deny how good it made him feel to have Deuce flat-out say that to Marco

_Now, Deuce was going to get it later_ – but it was nice of him to stick up for Ace like that

Marco clearly was riled up by the comment as he grabbed the handle bars of the bike

“Listen, Ace, you can’t do this!”

Ace sighed, straddling the bike properly as he zipped his jacket closed

“Marco, I’ll contact you all regularly”

_“Ace, no! You’re not going!”_

“Hey, think of it this way; if I’m on the run, the World Government can’t get me” teased Ace, forcing himself to smirk

“Ace, please, it’s much too dangerous. There’s a real chance of Teach killing you” pleaded Marco, his grip on the handlebars so tight that his knuckles were turning white

“I know, but there’s also a real chance of me getting killed if I stay in Goa too. I’d rather go down swinging for Thatch over being killed for being that bastard’s son” admitted Ace, needing Marco to just let him go

Deuce remained silent, he was aware of who his father was, so Ace didn’t care to talk about it openly in front of him

“This is something I need to do, Marco. I’ll ask Pops for forgiveness when I come back with Teach’s head”

“Ace, if you do this, you’re going to be a murder. Are you ready for that consequence and the problems that come with that? You’re going to be on the run from the law for the rest of your life” stated Marco, really needing Ace to understand

Ace scoffed slightly – _good thing he was dumped by his police chief of a boyfriend then_

But then his heart ached badly

_He needed to go_

“Marco, I’ve been an outlaw my whole life, what the hell would this really change? At least I would have earned it. There’s no future for me on the straight and narrow – I owe Thatch this”

Marco paused for a moment, staring at Ace in silent contemplation and then he sighed loudly, letting go of the handle bars and taking a step back

“You better goddamn call me every night, Ace. Call and hang up immediately so you can’t be traced by the cops. Keep your phone off unless you’re making a call. For this to work, you need to be completely off the map. If you need to directly contact us – use a payphone or a public internet café, you know the places I’m talking about” instructed Marco, looking dejected

Ace nodded, taking his phone out of the hostler on his thigh and quickly turned it off and put it right back in the pocket – his knife right beside it

“Ace, please, for the love of everything holy – be careful out there” begged Deuce, finally breaking his silence as he walked up to Ace to hand him his helmet

His helmet was black with flames on it – Ace really loved it

Ace chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck as his other hand petted Kotatsu on the head

“Man, people keep saying that to me today! Doesn’t anybody have any kind of faith in me?”

Both Deuce and Marco sighed at this as Ace took the helmet

“It’s more like we worry about you, that’s all. You’re kinda of an impulsive ass” pointed out Deuce, smirking

“You wouldn’t love me otherwise, c’mon now” teased Ace, grinning

“Ace…Please reconsider. Think this through – this is so dangerous and your life is worth so much more than this” pleaded Marco, desperately

“My life ain’t worth more than Thatch’s. Thatch deserves this, he deserves justice. I ain’t budging on that, Marco and you can’t make me change my mind either” argued Ace, getting frustrated with the conversation

Marco sighed, nodding as he completely moved out of the way of the bike

Ace put on the helmet and quickly turned on the bike – the Stryker roaring to life

Deuce went up to the control panel and pressed the button for the garage door to go up

Ace could feel his heart pounding in his chest – he wasn’t sure if he was angry, anxious or just…being reckless

But the moment the door went up; Ace waved to the two and quickly drove down the path – leaving the Whitebeard Estate within minutes, not sure when he’ll see it again…or if he would

 

Ace knew this was reckless, but he also knew that this might be the last time he could come here

Ace stared quietly at Smoker’s house; he knew he should get going. And every minute spent wasted – is another minute that Teach has to get away. Not only that, there was a snowstorm announced for tonight, so Ace needed to get as much out as he could and find shelter before the storm started

But his heart was yearning to see the house, one more time before he set off

_Fuck it_

Ace parked the bike on the sidewalk, attaching his helmet to the bike and sprinted in the direction of the gate leading to the backyard. With his running start, he was able to vault himself over the gate and landed directly in the back yard

Justice instantly ran out of her doghouse and ran up to Ace with the intention of attacking – barking loudly. But she instantly stopped when she recognized him, wagging her tail

Ace smiled warmly at Justice, falling to his knees as he pulled her into a hug. Justice in return let out a small worried whine and licked the side of his face. He quickly looked towards the house and thankfully – it looked empty

“I’m going to miss you, girl. Going to miss you so much”

Justice nuzzled him in response

“I know you’ll still love me, no matter what. You don’t care about stupid arbitrary morality rules and you don’t care that I’m in a gang or anything. You love me for who I am, don’t you, girl”

Ace smiled as Justice kept nuzzling him – _she really was such a good girl_

“Animals are so much better than people, Justice. I have to go do something that will make your master not forgive me when he finds out. If he had issues with me being in a gang, he’s going to hate me for murdering someone”

Ace didn’t know why he was pouring his heart out to Justice right now, but honestly, it made him feel good

_Maybe for the first time since the break up_

“I miss his touch every night, girl. I miss his scent, I miss the feel of his bed, the sound of his breathing, I miss the smell of gunpowder and leather and cigars that’s stuck on his skin and in his hair. I miss how he’d slightly scratch my face when we kissed because of his stubble, I miss his hands on my waist, and how he loved to run his hand through my hair. I miss the rumbling of his voice and how safe and happy he made me feel. I miss lying on his chest and listening to his heart beating. It’s only been a week and I feel like my heart has been ripped to pieces and I hate how I can’t even be angry at him, I can’t even make him the bad guy in my head, because he did nothing wrong and I just love him so so much”  continued Ace, feeling the tears run down his face

Ace sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of the jacket as Justice continued to nuzzle him and lick Ace’s cheek, whining softly

“I wish I could tell someone how much it hurts, but I don’t want people to worry about me, you know? I’m still kinda embarrassed on how bad I was with Sabo, but I can tell you everything, can’t I, Justice?”

Justice only looked at Ace in response, Ace chuckled softly

“I wish you could tell me if he misses me too. I think maybe it would hurt a little less if I thought for a moment that he missed me just as much, you know? Sometimes, I wish we could just…run away together. But I’d miss my family and friends too much, I think”

Justice whined softly, nuzzling Ace’s face again

“Yeah I’d miss you too! Of course!” Ace then paused, scratching Justice behind the ear “You know, I have to go collect this guy’s head because he tried to kill my friend Thatch. Thatch is in critical care and we won’t know if he’ll pull through. It’s my duty to do this for Thatch, but not only for Thatch, but for Izo too. The poor guy hasn’t left the hospital since Thatch was admitted. He’s too heartbroken. You see, he and Thatch really like each other, but they never told each other, and now it might be too late…”

Ace frowned, shaking his head as he stood up

“I hope I’m doing the right thing, Justice. I know the law won’t see it that way, but they already want me dead, so who cares what they think?”

Justice wagged her tail slightly, nuzzling Ace’s leg

“I’m not a bad person because I’m Roger’s son” declared Ace

_Huh, he had never said that outloud before_

“And I’m tired of being treated like it because of it. So either I get executed by the World Government soon or I get killed by Teach, it doesn’t change shit because the world will be a better place without me. Gramps can finally move on, not have to hold on to such a big secret. Luffy has Sabo and he has his friends, his gang, he’ll be fine! And the Whitbeards too! I believe in them and their abilities, they can move on without me! Chase will find someone else, someone good for him that he can depend on and won’t have to worry about like he worried over me. Everyone can! Everyone will finally stop worrying about me and things will be nice in Goa again” explained Ace, grinning

Justice let out a small whine, surprising Ace

_I guess his voice betrayed him?_

Ace then felt the tears falling on his face. Ace closed his eyes, rubbing the tears away. He soon reopened them, wanting the clenching feeling in his heart to go away

“I can’t even call what me and Chase had a mistake, Justice. Because I felt so incredibly loved, during my time with him, I felt how much everyone loved me and wanted me to be happy and it was wonderful. Now I’m just worrying everyone, I fucked up”

Ace then blinked, spotting something at the corner of the house, right by the roof

_Was that a fucking camera?!_

Ace gasped, horrified, _he had no idea that Smoker had a security system! Fuck! Shit! Fuck!_

Everything he just said was recorded! _Smoker was going to hear it!_

Ace’s face went completely red as he forced the bile down back in his throat. He quickly took off running, vaulting over the fence as he quickly took off running towards the bike. He got on the bike and quickly turned it off and drove off, embarrassed out of his mind

_He was such a fucking idiot!! Of course the Captain would have a video surveillance system!!_

_He was never going to live that down!_

 

 

So do you guys want to see the bike? It's not yellow, but this is the one we have at (old) work that I based Ace's on!

this is the switch that Marco covered! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Ace is off on his adventure! Don't worry, we're going to keep up with him even if he's not in Goa anymore! 
> 
> Next week we're back to Law, and again, I'm still in the two week period where I'm straddling both jobs, but once again, I'll try my best to write the chapter! But if it's not up, that's why 8C


	84. -LAW- Yet Again, A Magical Moment Is Ruined By the Peanut Gallery (YOU GUYS SUCK!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankfully I was able to crank out the chapter! I'm so happy! Everything should be good and dandy until the end of the fic from now on! (On that note, I know for a fact now how many chapters there actually is left! It's all planned out! But it's going to be my littler secret~!)
> 
> EDIT: Thank you so much Edgar-Nyan for the correction in the Italian title! It's much appreciated!

 

 

 

_“This thing is completely hideous, Cora“_

 

Law grumbled, looking down, once again, at probably the ugliest sweater he’d ever seen in his goddamn life

It was red and green and it had Christmas ornaments sewed onto it with “I LOVE SANTA” written in big, bold letters and reindeers

Law still can’t believe he was wearing it

“It’s an ugly Christmas sweater party, Law! That’s the damn dress code, so stop grumbling! You’re done school for the year! You should be relaxing! Be in a better mood!” teased Cora as he hummed under his breath another damn Christmas jingle

As usual, Cora went completely over the top and their house was decorated to the nines with Christmas decorations – _even the goddamn toilet_! But Law couldn’t relax no matter what – he knew very well what was coming at the end of the year and he couldn’t let his guard down, _no matter what_

Cora chuckled as Bepo walked in, grinning ear to ear, proud of is choice of sweaters

“Do you like it?”

“Oh man, Cora, I can’t believe you found this thing!” said Bepo in awe at he looked down at his own sweater

His was a two toned blue shirt with a polar bear on it…well, throwing up, and the worst part is that _the vomit  lit up_

“I knew how much you like polar bears, so I wanted to find you one with bears on it!” explained Cora as he left the kitchen

Law sighed deeply, knowing very well what Cora was coming back with – and lo and behold, he came back carrying a handful of presents

_“Cora!”_

“Nope! You can’t argue with me on this one! There’s something here for Mihawk, Perona and Zoro, as a thank you for hosting the party! And there’s a little something in there for Luffy too, but be sure to give it to him when you two are alone, since there isn’t anything for everyone. Please tell Shachi, Penguin and Jean Bart that they’ll get theirs when they come over on Christmas day” explained Cora, handing over the presents to Law and Bepo, who quickly put them into large reusable shopping bags

Law bit his lip, not wanting to argue with Cora – especially not when Cora’s sleeves rode up and Law could see how bandaged up Cora’s arms were

Desperate, Law had taken Cora’s offer to practice on him – generally it was going rather well, and they took all the precautions possible for Cora to not suffer adverse reactions to being used like a lab experiment – _but Law still found it emotionally really hard to take_

“Stop that!” snapped Cora, frowning at Law

Law blinked, surprised at Cora’s outburst

“You were staring at my bandages again! I already told you I was fine! You need to emotionally get over this, Law!” lectured Cora, frowning as he pushed his sleeves down “What happens if someone you care about gets hurt? Like Luffy! You need to be able to treat them regardless of your feelings”

“I don’t know, if I hate them, maybe I won’t treat them” admitted Law darkly “maybe I’d help it along”

Cora blinked and then laughed

“Oh jeez Law, people won’t know if you’re there to heal them or kill them! You’re going to be like a surgeon of death or something!”

Law blinked, surprised once more

Then he smiled quietly to himself

_Surgeon of Death doesn’t sound too bad, honestly_

 

Law and Bepo gawked openly at the giant mansion

It was decorated so…weirdly

“Hey, you know when in the Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween Town tried to do Christmas but uh, kinda got it all wrong?” started Bepo

Law snapped his fingers in realization

“Ohh!! That’s why these decorations look familiar!”

“Do you think they did it on purpose?”

Law shrugged

“It could just be Perona being…Perona”

“Ah, true! I don’t see Zoro getting all festive”

Law snorted at the mental image of Zoro in a Santa hat and an ugly sweater – _there was no way that Zoro was going to participate_ – regardless of it being his party or not

Yet when they ran the doorbell and Zoro answered – they learned quickly how very wrong they were

“Holy shit” muttered Law, staring in shock at Zoro

He was wearing a Santa hat, and an ugly sweater with a samurai snowman on it?? But he also had a large mug of eggnog in his hand

“Hey, com’in, party’s already started, we were just waiting on you guys” said Zoro as he took a big gulp of his drink and turned to walk back into the house

“Uh…Cora gave me these to give to you and your family” said Law, handing over a bag with Perona’s, Mihawk’s and Zoro’s presents to Zoro

Zoro merely chuckled, taking the bag

“Thanks, he’s really polite your old man” started Zoro “Everyone’s in the den, feel free to eat and drink as much as you want”

Law nodded as he and Bepo made their way to the den. Once there, as previously stated, everyone had already arrived, the Strawhats, his own gang (minus Jean Bart who said he didn’t want to party with a bunch of kids) and others loudly chatting away as they ate and drank merrily

Law wanted to carve his eyes out from how ugly everyone’s sweaters were – _especially Sanji’s ugly Christmas sweater suit_

Law blinked surprised as he spotted Camie and everyone else that was at the auction they busted

“TORAO!” yelled Luffy as he hopped off the couch and ran up to Law, hugging him tightly – Law hugged him right back “I’m so glad you’re here! I want to talk to you alone later, okay?”

Law blinked, surprised and then nodded, worried but Luffy instantly smiled brightly at Law, leaning up to whisper

“I want to give you your Christmas present!”

Law smiled, instantly calming down, making Luffy chuckle

“Sorry for worrying you!”

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have assumed the worst” admitted Law, feeling a bit sheepish

“C’mon! Relax! Let’s have fun!”

Law nodded, already feeling his energy draining

 

Law quietly slipped away from the crowd – as much fun as he was having, all this social interactions was really draining for him. He was thankful once more that he had asked Cora if they could meet him at the station tonight and get a ride home because he’s not sure he could handle this many people two days in a row as most of them were sleeping over. He quietly slipped into the kitchen, but froze, backing up when he heard two people talking inside

 _“I think you’re worrying for nothing_ ”

That was definitely Zoro

“I’m…I’m not so sure. This…This is so specific, I…”

Was that Sanji? He sounded so… _anxious?_

“Look, Sanji. Listen, it’s like, a prank or something. It’s not a threat”

_Whoah – what the fuck was going on?_

Law quietly crouched by the door, quietly listening in

_Fuck he was picking up bad habits from Cora_

“You don’t understand! The email said ‘You need to disappear before it’s too late’! Who the hell would send that to someone as a joke! And I tried to email the person back, but apparently the email doesn’t exist anymore!” explained Sanji, clearly frustrated

“Someone is just trying to freak you out and clearly it’s working. Anyone tries shit with you; I’m going to stop them, so relax”

Sanji huffed

“I don’t need you to protect me, Marimo!” snapped Sanji, but then his voice grew soft, quiet… _almost scared_ “Especially not if this is what I think it is…Zoro, listen to me. I need you to promise that if I need to leave, _that you will let me_ ”

“No”

_“Zoro!”_

“No!”

Law pulled back from the door, not wanting to hear any more since he was pretty sure that it was just going to erupt into a stupid fight anyways

_And usually when those two fights, it goes from rated-G to rated NC-17 fast_

Law sighed, getting irritated

 He wanted to find Luffy, but he wasn’t sure where the other went so Law started wondering around the manor, hoping to bump into him without going back to the den right away

 

Honestly, Law thought this place was totally his aesthetic as he kept wandering around. Not sure he’d want a house that looked like this – but he thought it looked really cool nonetheless

Suddenly Law heard a deep voice, laughing to whatever someone else had said. Law frowned, not recognizing this voice either, but he quickly recognized the second voice as Mihawk Dracule’s. Law slightly approached the doorway and was surprised the find said door open. He looked in for a moment and couldn’t believe his eyes

_Inside was Red Hair Shanks!_

“-So I’m going to go see Whitebeard tonight and try to get him to call back-in Ace, going after Teach is too damn dangerous”

_Teach?!_

_Ace went after him?!_

“Why do you even care so much? If the boy craves death so much, let him” asked Mihawk, taking a small sip of his wine

“Because I know what Teach is capable of” started Shanks, touching the scar on his face “Luffy is going to be devastated when Teach murders Ace”

Law froze, pulling back from the door horrified

_Why was Shanks so certain that Teach was going to kill Ace?!_

_This was bad! Very bad!_

“Whoever is behind the door better come out” warned Mihawk, no teasing behind his voice as he took another sip of wine

Law gulped loudly and turned the corner, going into the doorway and instantly bowed his head

_Maybe if he’s nice Mihawk won’t kill him?_

“Sorry for interrupting you. I wanted to thank you for your hospitality but saw that you were busy with someone else” lied Law, hoping the other one bought it

“Ah, yes, Rosinante’s boy. Tell him that he brought me a rather excellent wine and I commend him for it” said Mihawk as he swirled the content in his glass slightly

Shanks blinked slightly

“Rosinante? As in Rosinante Donquixote? He’s the good Donquixote’s kid? That’s who this is?” asked Shanks, pointing towards Law

Mihawk merely nodded as Shanks turned towards Law, grinning

Law made a slightly startled noise as he noticed the pinned sleeve – he forgot that Shanks had lost an arm and doesn’t wear a prosthetic

“Oh how cool! So you’re Luffy’s boyfriend, huh? Do me a favour and don’t tell him I’m here okay! Luffy and I made a promise long ago, so he can’t see me until then, alright?”

Law merely nodded, too stunned to really do anything else

_Shanks was talking to him like a normal person and not like the living legend he was and it was kinda spooking him out_

“Now head back to your party” said Mihawk and Law nodded, quickly turning around and leaving the room as fast as he could without running out

_He was no coward!_

But once in the hallways, he made sure to be as far away from them as possible

But Law didn’t go far until he bumped into someone else as he rounded the corner

“There you are!”

Law blinked, looking at Luffy and his heart instantly clenched

_He should tell Luffy_

“C’mon! It’s time for the White Elephant Party!” said Luffy, smiling brightly as he grabbed Law’s sleeve, dragging him back down to the den

_He couldn’t_

_Not now_

_Later…he’ll do it later_

 

“Oh man, these are great!” yelled Luffy, holding up his new bread loaf slippers “I’m going to bring these to your house, Torao! They’ll be my slippers when I visit, okay?”

Law was pretty sure he was going to be blinded by Luffy’s smile one day

“Yeah sure, Cora will get a real kick out of them too” replied Law, barely paying attention as he was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to just kiss Luffy

“Your monkey is really funny too!” replied Luffy, pointing to the cymbal clanking monkey that Law got

Law’s pretty sure it’s the most hideous thing he’s ever seen with the sweater

_He’s so going to stick it in Cora’s bed tonight when the other isn’t looking_

_Man, Cora is going to screech like a banshee!_

“Are you guys hyped to leave on your trip?” asked Shachi to the group – but clearly the girls more than anyone else

_Shachi was many things – but he wasn’t smooth, that’s for sure_

“Yeah, apparently I heard though that the Amazon Lily girls are staying in the giant cabin near ours! Isn’t that a wild coincidence?” stated Nami, grinning

Law snorted, _he knew what she was doing there_

“AWW MAN!” yelled both Shachi and Penguin at the same time as they both looked at Law with pleading eyes

“No” merely stated Law, taking a sip of his eggnog

“Besides, you guys can’t come anymore! Camie, Hachi, Pappug, Raleigh and Shakki have taken your places” explained Nami, smirking at the whining boys

“Sorry” said Camie meekly, clearly feeling bad but Law shook his head

“Don’t. I’m happy someone took our places, I’d rather the trip didn’t get wasted” assured Law, shaking his head “Besides, knowing those two, they would have tried to sneak into the Amazon Lily cabin anyways, so I’d rather we stay away”

But now _she_ had a chance to mack on Luffy for a week

_Fucking hell_

Law then turned towards Vivi who was sitting beside Nami to his right side on the couch

_Right, he’d been meaning to ask her about something he’d notice_

“Vivi, been meaning to ask – how come you weren’t at the raid of the auction house?”

More and more Luffy and Law’s paths were crossing when they went out into the streets, and he noticed that Vivi ran with the gang, _but she wasn’t there during the raid_

It had been bothering him

“Oh! It’s because I’m foreign royalty, so most if not all the people in that room would have recognized me which means the word would get back to my father” explained Vivi

Oh yeah, Law had forgotten _she was an actual princess_

“You excited to go back home?” asked Law, remembering that the other was leaving soon after new years

But Law instantly felt Nami giving him a dirty look – _shit! Guess it wasn’t something to bring up!_

“Well” started Vivi, smiling sadly “I miss my father and my family back home, but I’m also going to miss everyone here terribly too. I just wish I could combine the two, you know”

Law nodded suddenly feeling like a real jerk

_Good job, Trafalgar_

“I’m sorry for bringing it up” apologized Law, looking downwards as he rubbed the back of his neck but Vivi shook her head

“Don’t! It was nice of you to ask! We haven’t had a chance to really talk ever since you transferred to our school, Law. Luffy is so fond of you so I’ve been meaning to talk a bit with you, so it’s great that we have this chance”

Law blinked, surprised at Vivi’s words and blushed a deep red, embarrassed

“Ah…well, um”

“Torao! C’mon! Let’s get some air!” said Luffy as he grabbed Law’s arm, pulling him off the couch

Law didn’t miss the large bundle under Luffy’s arm

“Uh yeah, it, it was nice talking to you, Vivi” said Law, not sure when he’d see the other again

Vivi merely giggled

“Don’t worry; you’ll just have to come visit me in Alabaster with the others, won’t you?”

Law nodded, smiling at the other as he was dragged out by Luffy

 

They were suddenly outside and Law shivered slightly under the cold air

The temperature had really dropped in the last couple of days – thankfully it was snowing slightly so Law knew it couldn’t be that cold outside

“I’m so excited to give you your present!” declared Luffy, giving the big bundle over to Law

Law grabbed it and frowned instantly – it was a book?

It felt like a book

He unwrapped it and his eyes widen in complete shock

There was written on the cover ‘ _Teoria e pratica della medicina del Dottor L.W. Trafalgar e Dott.ssa L. Trafalgar’_

_Theory and Practice of Medicine by Doctor L.W. Trafalgar and Doctor L. Trafalgar_

It was his mother and father’s book

“H-How?” asked Law, feeling himself tearing up as he stared at the forgotten relic in his hands

“I found it at a used book store! I saw that it had your last name on it, but I don’t know how to read Italian! But Sabo knew a bit of Italian so he was able to translate the title, so I thought you’d like it” explained Luffy, grinning from ear to ear

Law was so touched he didn’t know how to handle the information that was just given to him. Luffy went scourging in book stores to look for the perfect thing for him for Christmas and happen to come across a rare copy of his parent’s book – _one that technically would have burned with everything else when they burned the city to the ground_ , but now in his hands he had a copy

A memory of his parents

_Because of Luffy_

Tears started to stream down his face and Law quickly wiped them away with his sleeve, feeling embarrassed

“T-Thank you, thank you so much, Luffy, I…I don’t think mine measures up after this though” admitted Law, feeling the small box in his pocket

“You got me something?” asked Luffy, surprised, but clearly excited

Law blinked

“Of course I did! You’re my boyfriend!” replied Law, taking the small wrapped box from his pocket and handed it over to Luffy

Luffy enthusiastically took off the wrapper, smiling as he opened the small box – revealing a small gold bracelet

Luffy smiled brightly, taking it from the box and looked it over, grinning when he spotted the engraving inside

“ _’From my heart to yours’_ , that’s what it says, right?” asked Luffy, smiling shyly up at Law

Law turned bright red, nodding slowly – good to know that Luffy sure earned his marks in Spanish class

“Thank you so much, Torao!” said Luffy, instantly putting on the bracelet “I’m always going to keep this on!”

“Y-You don’t have to do that! If you don’t like It, I can-“

“Stop! Torao! I love it! I want to keep it forever! I can’t wait to show it to everyone!” replied Luffy, interrupting Law “I’m so happy you gave me this!”

Then Luffy lunged forward to give Law a kiss, which Law readily accepted, kissing Luffy back

“Luffy, I want you to know, that I’m always going to be there for you! No matter what adventure you’re on; I want to be part of it!” confessed Law, flustered

And then mentally beat himself for even saying

_God, that sounded corny_

_Luffy probably thought he was such a loser right now_

Luffy smiled back, taking Law’s hands in his

“I always want you there too, Torao!”

“Luffy, I love you”

_Holy shit he did not just-_

“I love you too, Law” replied Luffy sincerely, Law’s heart clenching at his name being said “I’m so happy you’re here in my life”

_Law was pretty sure his heart was going to stop_

“Me too”

The two of them leaned in, kissing each for a moment but Luffy broke the kiss, snorting

“What’s wrong?” asked Law, confused

Luffy merely chuckled, pointing upwards

Law looked up and saw that above their heads; a mistletoe

Law snorted _– of course_

Luffy laughed, putting his arms around Law’s neck, pulling him in closer. Law smiled softly, hands around Luffy’s waist as he pulled him, making sure not to drop his book, leaning down as the two softly kissed

Law didn’t think this moment could be any more perfect as the two kept kissing in the soft moonlight. The air was crisp, but their individual body heat brought together made it just a comfortable temperature as they enjoyed each other’s company. Exchanging soft kisses with the music from inside softly resonating – but neither of them really noticed it, too enraptured with each other at the moment

 

And then there was a series of bright flashes

The two instantly broke apart, turning around, looking shocked towards the source of the light

Only to see everyone outside, whistle and hollering at them but what Law saw instantly was Nami in the middle of the group, holding an instax camera in her hand – grinning from ear to ear

_Oh son of a bitch, they took a photo of them!!_

Law turned scarlet, completely embarrassed as Luffy laughed brightly

“You guys took a photo of us?!”

“Of course we did~” purred Nami, taking the photos out, showing them to the two

_Photos?! Why is there so many?!_

Everyone laughed, dragging Luffy inside as they all went back in but Law stood back slightly, waiting for Nami to start going in before he tapped her on her shoulder, getting her attention

“Uh…Nami…” started Law, looking to the side, frowning

“Hmm?” asked Nami as she turned around, grinning at Law

“Is there…could I have one of those pictures?” asked Law, muttering, _unable to believe he has to ask for something like that!_

“Sure!” said Nami, grinning brightly “For 100$”

Law frowned sharply, looking at Nami shocked

_“What?!”_

“100$ a picture~” restated Nami, taking one out

Law grumbled, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket as he shifted the book under his arm to hold it up

_Did he even have 100$ on him right now? Does Nami take e-transfer?_

“Nami! Don’t charge Law for the photo! That’s now very nice! Just give him one!” chided Vivi gently, giggling

Nami sighed playfully, rolling her eyes as she handed the picture over to Law

“I wasn’t actually going to take his money, Vivi~!”

Law snorted, not too sure about that, as he took the picture and stuck it in his wallet; smiling gently at it before he closed the wallet and put it in his back pocket and followed Nami and Vivi back inside to join the party

Desperately wanting to forget what was to come

_He had to find some way to tell Luffy_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh it was so weird to write a Christmas chapter while Halloween is happening but here it is!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	85. -CORAZON- Immigrants, They Get the Job Done (Even If It’s Just A Shoulder To Cry On)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRRY CH- Wait, it's Halloween! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! This chapter is more on a sadder note but what can we do? They can't all be happy and stuff, now can they?
> 
> Thank you so much as usual for reading! This chapter actually almost didn't come to be because I was so caught up making my Halloween costume and working on a Christmas present that I TOTALLY forgot about everything and almost forgot to write it - ooops! Still getting used to the new routine with the new job, but let's do this!
> 
> Posting it a little earlier than usual because I have a party tonight! Hope you're all celebrating!

 

 

“Wow, those two can really sleep anywhere, huh? “

Cora blinked, looking up from the report he was typing up to a smug, amused looking Bellemere handing him a cup of coffee

Cora laughed quietly, graciously accepted the sweet sweet beverage of the gods

“Oh yeah, but Bepo it’s totally a talent he’s always had while Law had to work at it, you see” explained Cora teasingly as he casted a warm look towards the two bundled up on the floor against the wall near Cora’s desk, sleeping soundly, leaning on each other with a thin blanket over both of them

Cora had offered them the couch in the waiting area, but they had both refused, wanting to be near Cora as they retold their adventures of the night before they fell asleep – Cora _definitively wanted a copy of Law’s picture though!_

_That’s going right on the damn mantle!_

“I’m surprised they didn’t stay at the party like everyone else, there was this big brunch planned and everything” pointed out Bellemere, sipping her own coffee

Cora though shook his head gently

“Naw, Law’s very much an introvert. The brunch would have been too much for him. He needs to come home and recharge his battery in peace. He likes that group, but they’re a bit much for him in large doses, you know?” explained Cora as gently as possible, hoping that Bellemere wouldn’t take offense due to Nami being part of that group

Bellemere merely snorted

“ _’A bit much’_ is putting it mildly! They’re a giant ball of energy, which is good for Nami, because they took her out of her shell, but I can completely understand why someone would want a breather from them after a couple of hours!” said Bellemere, laughing

“Yeaaah, besides, they’re going to be busy tonight, so I’d rather they get some rest now”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, we do a meal on Christmas Eve and then stay up super late, waaaay past midnight! Traditionally, Law’s family would have gone to church, but he doesn’t practice. So we just stay up, playing games, unwrapping presents and the next day, their close friends are coming over and we have a huge feast! So sleep for now will be good for them” explained Cora, grinning

“Did you use to go to church as a kid? For Christmas mass or just in general?” asked Bellemere, taking another sip of her coffee

Cora blinked, a little surprised at the question

Bellemere didn’t often as about Cora’s past – but when she did, it was always sneakily slipped in

“Oh no, my parents wanted to when we lived in Spain’s mainland but _–“ we were completely ostracised from society because we were former Celestial Dragons_ “-we somehow never got around to it, due to my mother being ill and you know? And Sengoku’s very much Buddhist! Christmas isn’t really a national holiday in Japan either, it’s seen as a really romantic thing though! So it’s celebrated, but mostly because it’s so pretty you know? It’s low-key celebrated, so I just stuck to what I knew from I did when I lived in Spain. Thankfully, Law’s traditions from Italy are similar enough” answered Cora, knowing very well he was babbling at this point

“What about Bepo?” asked Bellemere, looking towards the either

Cora shrugged slightly

“He said that his family never celebrated Christian holidays, but he loves the idea of Christmas, so he wants to participate to this one” explained Cora, chuckling

 

“Alright, time for you two to go home”

Bellemere and Cora blinked, looking at Smoker coming in with Tashigi, surprised

Was it six am already?

_Wait_

Why did the Smoker look so… _flushed_?                          

_Embarrassed?_

_Hurt?_

_Angry?_

He looked like he had a million emotions running through him at once

 “You okay, boss?” asked Bellemere, raising a brow

Smoker suddenly turned bright red, grumbling loudly before going right to his office, slamming the door shut

Bellemere and Cora looked towards the office, completely shocked

“Is…Is he okay?” asked Cora, not sure what to make of the other’s actions

“Uh…sorta”  answered Tashigi nervously as she made her way to her own desk

 “Tassshiiiiiggiiii” started Cora, leaning in towards her “What’s going oooonnn?”

Tashigi exhaled, knowing she had lost the fight

“He…uh, had an _intruder_ in his yard a few nights ago and he’s been like this ever since he saw the footage last night” explained Tashigi carefully

Cora frowned, mulling the information over

The Captain had an intruder a few nights ago and _didn’t bother to look at the footage until now?_

That means that Smoker had to get himself to watch the footage -

_Oh man, only one intruder could get him to act like that!_

“An intruder? Does he want to file a report?” asked Bellemere, shocked

Cora snorted

“It was Ace, wasn’t it?”

Tashigi nodded slowly as Bellemere made a shocked choking noise

“Well, that’s what I think too. From the footprints that Hina and I saw, they led right over the gate and to Justice’s dog house. If it wasn’t someone she knew, she would have easily mauled them pretty bad. Justice always caught her perp before she retired” explained Tashigi, boasting proudly

Cora frowned – _if only he could get his hands on the footage_ , whatever happened must have been more than just a friendly visit to go pet a dog!

Even though, to be fair, _he’d totally break into the Captain’s backyard to go pet his dog_

_Wait no, he’s a cop, he can’t do that!_

“On that note though, I’m going to tell you guys, but keep this on the down-low and do not bring it up with the Captain! He raged furiously about it earlier” started Tashigi, lowering her voice

Cora instantly leaned in with Bellemere

“Ace went after Teach.  Seems he left on Friday night”

_So he waited until after Garp left – clever kid_

 “Does he have a death wish?!” yelled Bellemere, furious “He’s going to get killed!”

Cora groaned deeply, running a hand through his hair – _he knew this would happen_

Suddenly, Cora stiffened up, hearing a shift in Law’s breathing

_Ah, Law’s up_

“Did we really expect anything less though? Ace is too loyal to his friends to let that drop – speaking of, is Thatch doing any better?”  asked Cora, biting his lip

Bellemere shook her head

“No, still in a coma”

“Damn, I was hoping for a change”

Bellemere chuckled sadly

“Hoping for a Christmas miracle? Didn’t take you for a romantic, Rosi”

Cora teasingly scoffed, dramatically gesturing to himself

“Please, _bella_! I have the romantic blood flowing through my veins!” teased Cora, making the others laugh as he did some flamenco steps and clapped his hands and snapped his fingers, making everyone laugh

Well, also because he tripped on his own feet and hit the ground pretty hard, laughing himself

But he couldn’t keep his mind off Thatch

_Poor kid_

 

“You’re going to the hospital?” asked Law, surprised, sitting on Cora’s bed in his pyjamas

Cora had instructed both boys to go right back to sleep once they got home. Bepo happily crawled back into bed but Law had followed Cora back to his own room as Cora got changed

“Yeah, I wanted to go bring some flowers for Thatch – it would be a shame to wake up to an empty room, you know? Also, I’m worried about something, so I’m going to go check it out”

“Want me to come with you?” asked Law

Cora didn’t miss the slight crack in Law’s voice

_What was he worried about?_

“No, no, I think he’ll be a bit embarrassed if I bring you along” explained Cora as he threw on a sweater

“ _He?”_

“Yeah, but I’ll explain when I get back, okay? I have to go find myself a bouquet of peonies”

“Peonies?”

“Yep, one little extra flower as well, but I’ll explain everything when I get back, okay?” assured Cora, patting Law on the head gently

Law only frowned, clearly not convinced

 

Cora shivered slightly as he walked into the hospital’s intensive care unit, pulling his coat on tighter

Bleah, he still couldn’t stand hospitals, even after all the time he spent in one

Walking right up to the waiting area, what he saw instantly broke his heart

Sitting there, as if he hadn’t moved since the day of the incident was Izo

His hair was a real mess, tangled and knotted, clearly hasn’t been washed in ages. Izo’s eyes were very red, swollen and puffy and he was wearing this massive orange hoodie that Cora quickly suspected wasn’t his at all. Underneath, it looks like he was wearing a simple kimono with his sandals kicked under the bench he was sitting on, dirty socks in plain sight. Currently, he was curled up on the bench, knees to his chest, staring at a sign

Cora took a quick glance towards the sign and his heart broke even more

_It was the information board_ – it looked like Izo was quietly and patiently waiting for a change in Thatch’s status

Cora quietly walked up to Izo and quietly sat down beside Izo, gently handing over the bouquet to Izo

Izo blinked, shaken out of his thoughts as the bouquet of peonies were suddenly in his face

“A-“

Izo then turned and looked at Cora, who merely smiled sadly at Izo

“<I brought them for Thatch, but right now, I feel you need them more>” Cora instantly went to talking in Japanese, not wanting to mentally push Izo into talking in his second language

Izo stared at Cora, surprised and Cora’s heart broke even more

_The other looked so incredibly exhausted_

“<Peonies…bravery and good fortune>” muttered Izo as he took the bouquet, holding it to his chest

“<And one daisy!>” said Cora, handing the single flower to Izo “<I bought that for you specifically>”

“<Daisies…faith…why?>”

“<Your mother told me the other day that hadn’t seen you in a while, so I strongly suspected you where still here. I wanted to give you a small pick-me-up!>”

“Someone needs to stay with Thatch” stated Izo, in English, as if he had rehearsed it “He doesn’t have any blood relatives yes. We Whitebeards are the only relatives some of us have”

Cora resisted the urge to roll his eyes

The poor kid didn’t need that right now

“<That’s awfully noble of you>” started Cora, continuing in Japanese, trying to remain as gentle as possible “<But there’s so many of you, how come you’re not taking shifts? You look like you can use some rest>”

Izo stiffened up, looking like a deer in the headlights

“I-I”

“<It’s alright. You want to be the one that stays for Thatch, right?>”

Izo softly nodded, looking at the flowers

“<That’s awfully kind of you, I’m sure Thatch would really appreciate it. Now, I don’t know him that well, we’ve only met a few times, but he seems awfully fond of you>”

_He looks at you like you’re a treasure_

“<He’s my dear friend>” defended Izo, holding the flowers closer

“<Oh? Dear friends are important but wouldn’t he be worried if he saw you in such a state?>” pointed out Cora

Izo’s eyes narrowed

“<I hear that enough from the nurses! I don’t need to hear it from you too!>” snapped Izo, abruptly standing up

Cora put up his hands defensibly

“<Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t trying to offend! I’m merely worried, that’s all>” explained Cora

“<I don’t need your worry!>” hissed Izo “<Is this truly worry or are you just trying to meddle in everything as usual?>”

_Okay ow_

Cora shrugged

_Fair question though_

“<My intentions are pure, I swear, I hate seeing kids in pain like this, I have no ulterior motives>” admitted Cora “<I just don’t want someone else to end up in the ER and you’re well on your way, when’s the last time you’ve eaten properly? Sleep properly? Showered?>”

Izo sat back down, lowering his head like a scolded dog

“<…not since Thatch…>” admitted Izo

Cora sighed, running a hand through his hair

He had suspected as much

“< _Cora-san, please do not worry about me_ >” started Izo “<You worry about too many foolish children as it is, I do not need to be added to your list>”

“<Izo, listen, this is something I do by choice, I don’t feel obligated to do so! I see someone in need, I want to help them>” argued Cora

Izo merely shook his head

“<Once Thatch wakes up, I will be okay>” stated Izo, assured “<Like you said, I must have faith>”

“<Izo->”

“<He has to, because I have so much to tell him>” muttered Izo, lost to the world

 

But before Cora could say another word, a large hand placed itself on his shoulder

“<Thank you, Rosinante-dono, but I shall take it from here>”

_Dono?!_

_Who the hell talks like-_

Cora turned around and found himself staring right into a man’s crotch, slightly shocking him as he looked up

_Now there’s something he wasn’t used to doing!_

There was standing in front of him an extremely tall Japanese man, roughly his own height, wearing a kimono and getta sandals

_In winter?!_

_It’s snowing outside!!_

“<K-Kin?! What are you doing here?>” asked Izo, completely shocked

_Well at least they knew each other_

“<Our honored mother called me, saying you were in need of your family but she knew that you wouldn’t appreciate her presence, so she asked me to come>” explained Kin

But then the man turned around to face Cora and took a step back and bowed deeply, Cora quickly returned the gestured, not sure what the hell was happening

“<Thank you so much, Rosinante-dono for taking care of my little brother! My honored mother told me so much about you! Your kindness is deeply appreciated! My family is indebted to you!>”

Cora’s head was spinning from the old-fashioned way the other was speaking – it was hard to keep up

“<Ah-! It’s no problem! Truly! It’s my pleasure!>” Cora then stood up, sticking out his hand “<Just Rosinante is fine! You seem to know about me, but I don’t think we’ve met!>”

The other man took his hand, shaking it slightly

“<I am Kozuki Kin’emon! I’m a textile and clothing designer at Kozuki Designs!>”

_Huh? Kozuki isn’t Izo’s family name…_

“<Oh! I heard of that company! I love the stuff you guys makes!>”

Cora especially loves them since they make clothing for men his size! Which is rather shocking for a Japanese company - _But seeing Kin’emon, he now completely understands why_

Kin’emon then turned towards Izo, who merely stood up and put his sandals back on quietly, the fight gone in him

_Guess Izo couldn’t turn down his brother telling him to go_

”<Come little brother, let’s go home. The hospital will call us if there’s any changes in your friend’s condition>” instructed Kin’emon

Cora sighed slightly watching as Izo quietly went up to his older brother as the two of them started to make their way towards the door

“<Cora-san?>”

Cora blinked, turning around completely to look at Izo who was looking back at him, clutching the bouquet of flowers and he slightly bowed, silently thanking Cora

Cora smiled gently, nodding his head in return as he spotted Jozu walking into the waiting area and took Izo’s previous spot on the bench

_I guess the Whitebeards were informed that Izo was going to be picked up_

Cora groaned slightly once the pair was gone, scratching his head, trying to wrap his head around what just happened

_Well, he might as well get going to join his own family_

“ _A moment, Corazon_ ”

Cora blinked, surprised at Jozu addressing him

“Yeah?”

“Pops wants me to pass along the message to you to not do anything foolish in the coming days”

Cora was confused for a moment but suddenly the image of Doflamingo popped into his head

Cora merely snorted

“ _Foolish is all I do and all I know,_ but tell him I appreciate the concern” said Cora, making Jozu merely snort

Cora then turned around, walking out of the hospital

 

Once outside, Cora frowned, slightly put off by the interaction

_If he can keep his kids safe, who cares about himself?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! New character! hohoho! I actually have a big old crush on Kin'emon, I don't even know whyyyy
> 
> Also next week's Ace chapter is gonna be a pretty long one! So get ready for that!


	86. -ACE- Adventures with the Milkmaid (And Then Some Personal Milkin- Okay, That’s Bad, I’m Sorry) (NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alllrrriiight! It's time for Ace's Adventures while he's out looking for Teach! 
> 
> Once again, the rule remains that * signals the start of the NSFW and * signals the end of the NSFW!

 

 

 

“COME BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD!“

Ace huffed, frustrated as he tried to pick up the speed a little bit as he kept running

On one hand, he’s kinda impressed this old man had been chasing him for four blocks now – never would have guessed the man had it in him just by looking at him

On the other hand, it was Christmas day! Shouldn’t he be jolly and forgiving? Willing to spread joy and happiness? _Be with his family??_

Now, if Ace was able to – he’d be at home right now, opening presents and eating a big meal in the evening with the Whitebeards like he usually does! Instead he feels like he’s being led on this giant goose chase all over the neighboring towns in a weird pattern. _Teach was messing with him_ – Ace isn’t doubting that one bit so far, but he wasn’t sure if Teach was being elusive on purpose or that he figured out that he was being chased

Either way, it was starting to seriously piss Ace off, if he wasn’t already chasing him to kill him – _he’d fucking kill him now for sure!_

Ace quickly scrambled up the side of a building, hoping he had ducked into the alley fast enough that the old man hadn’t seen him

“COME DOWN FROM THERE!!” yelled the old man, shaking his fist from the street

Ace exhaled, noticing his breath clearly

Man, it was kinda bitter cold today _– not that he could really tell with his weird body_

“Sorry for not paying~” teased Ace from the top of the building, grinning                     

Okay, he might have just eaten and ran – _but his funds were limited!_

It’s not like he could go take out money! He needed to stay off the map completely!

 

Ace continued to go around the town on the rooftops until he saw a few people gathered around the main bridge of the town by the river

_Oh, this was perfect!_

Ace climbed down the building he was on and approached the group, all smiles, as friendly as possible

People in small towns and villages didn’t take well to strangers, so Ace had to be extra nice

“Hey hey, sorry to bother you all on this fine Christmas morning, but I was wondering if any of you have seen this man?”

Ace pulled out the picture he had of Teach, _not a good one, mind you,_ but Teach notoriously didn’t like having his picture taken

Now Ace knew why _– the fucking bastard_

As he discussed with the three men by the bridge, he spotted Teach’s unmistakeable presence from the corner of his eye

_Holy shit_

_It was a Christmas miracle!_

Ace quickly turned around and ran towards Teach, not giving the other a chance to run away

He needed to knock out Teach and fast! And a kick to the head would do such a thing!

Ace launched himself into a high kick, landing a heavy and hard kick to the back of Teach’s head, knocking him right to the ground

Teach didn’t move – guess he was unconscious!

Ace grinned brightly; thrilled that he finally finished his mission! He just needed to drag the bastard to somewhere quiet where he could finish the fucking job and just go home!

Maybe if he did really good time he could see Luffy before the other left for his ski trip tomorrow morning! He did feel kinda bad leaving Luffy’s present on his bed with a note – but he didn’t want Luffy getting any dumb ideas like coming with Ace in guise of seeking adventure

Luffy didn’t have to assist with his murder

_That’s going to be on Ace’s hands alone_

Ace rolled over Teach forcefully, not wanting to give the man any kind of mercy and then he froze

_This-_

_This wasn’t Teach at all_

_Holy shit! Holy shit!_

_He fucked up!_

_He fucked up!_

 

_“Did that man just kick Dr.Blackbeard in the head?!”_

_“Oh no! Wasn’t he on his way to do a housecall to little Billy’s house?!”_

_“What the hell is wrong with that man?!”_

_“GET HIM!”_

_SHIT SHIT SHIT_

Ace didn’t even have the time to react before he felt many hands grabbing at him, pulling on him and tugging him

Next thing he knew, he was being lifted up by the crowd

Next thing he knew, he was in the air

Next thing he knew, he felt the horrible sting and burn of freezing water after he felt himself crash through something

_DID THEY JUST THROW HIM IN THE RIVER?!_

_WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN?!_

_IT’S DECEMBER!_

 

Ace coughed loudly, snapping up as he sat up, looking around in the room he was in

Last he remembered he had blacked out?

YEAH, BECAUSE SOME CRAZY TOWN PEOPLE THREW HIM IN THE GODDAMN ICY RIVER

YEEESH

Ace blinked, looking at his surroundings and it looked like he was in a bed in a cozy little cottage room

_Huh? How did he get here?_

Ace then looked down and was surprised to see that he had been stripped down completely but when he looked up he saw that his clothes were hanging outside on a clothes line, clearly drying

_I guess it makes sense considering they were soaked to the bone FROM BEING THROWN IN A RIVER_

Oh good! His bag was there!

Ace quickly spotted the things that were in his bag drying on the desk in the room as well, minus his phone, which seemed to be in a big bowl of rice, drying up

Man, whoever found him clearly took care of him!

Ace quickly put on the clothes that had been laid out for him, a big sweater and some sweatpants and he made his way through the small house

It looked lived-in clearly, but it was rather small, one person or a small family lived here

Ace wandered outside, looking for a sign of life and finally found it in the shape of a teenage girl crouched outside tending to some cows

“Uh, hey?” greeted Ace as he walked up to the girl

The girl smiled at Ace as she stood up

“Oh! You’re awake! I was starting to get worried!” said the girl, grinning

“Uh, yeah, did you fish me out of the river?” asked Ace as he approached her, she was kinda short or maybe she was younger than she looked?

“Yes! I saw you coming down and I went to get you out! Apparently you caused quite the ruckus in town! I was going to call and ask for a doctor to come over but instead I was warned to watch out for a young man who assaulted Dr.Blackbeard” explained the girl

“Uhhh…” started Ace, rubbing the back of his neck “My bad about that, I thought he was this murderous bastard I’m kinda hunting down”

“Oh? You’re like a…what are they called again…a bounty hunter?” asked the girl, her curiosity picked

_Bounty hunter?_

_Oh, he could work with that!_

“Yeah, a bounty hunter! But yeah, it was a total mistake, but I didn’t think I’d get thrown in the river!” admitted Ace, still shocked

The girl chuckled slightly

“This is a small village, people are very protective of our own, also Dr.Blackbeard is our only doctor for miles and miles, so people are rather fond of him. Also we don’t have a police force or anything, the state troopers are the ones that come if we need help, so the villagers take it upon themselves to be the town’s justice”

Ace sighed deeply, okay, that made sense

“I’m really sorry for the ruckus I caused, err..?”

“Moda! My name is Moda!” said Moda, handing Ace a jug of milk “Here, drink something! Your clothes should be dry soon”

“Oh thanks!” Ace took the glass of milk and gulped it down

_Holy shit_

“This has to be the best damn milk I’ve ever had!” cried Ace, surprised

“Thank you! We’re a small dairy farm here but our girls make wonderful milk!” boasted Moda, smiling brightly

“Wow, they sure do! Hey, thanks again for saving me, Moda. Is there anything I can do as a thank you?” offered Ace

_He might be a hoodlum, but Makino taught him manners, damnit!_

Moda hesistated for a moment, biting her lip nervously before she nodded

“Could you…” started Moda

Ace waited patiently, wondering what the hell could be making Moda so nervous

_Shit! She didn’t want him to marry her did she?! He’d be a shitty husband, she deserved so much better!_

_Maybe she just wanted to get laid? Uh, I guess he could do that – it would be weird, but she did save his life_

“…deliver this letter for me?” finished Moda

Ace blinked, surprised at how simple the request was

“Uh, of course, yeah, I can totally do that – I just need to find my bike”

“I’ll help you!” offered Moda, smiling brightly “Your clothes should be dry by now!”

 Ace sighed, relieved and grinned at Moda

“Awesome! Let’s get going! Daylight’s burning!”

 

“Vice Admiral Comil at the G2 base, huh”

Moda had helped Ace find his bike, discreetly too, making sure none of the locals spotted him and Ace quickly sped off in the direction of the base

He knew there was a high risk at going to a World Government base, but he owed Moda his life, it was the least he could do

Now he was a good mile away from the base, taking a bit bite of the bread that Moda had given him before he sped off. Ace needed some sort of infiltration plan because he couldn’t just waltz into the base. Being Garp’s grandson isn’t a way to get into a base – _but maybe he could pretend to be someone else_

Ace parked his bike deep in the forest near the base and then on foot quietly made his way towards the base. He was thankful that there hadn’t been a snowfall in a couple of days so there wouldn’t be any distinctive footsteps in the snow

Just as he suspected, there were patrollers, but Ace smirked, _this just might be his in, actually_

 

Ace frowned sharply

_It was way too easy to take down this Marine guy_

_Who the hell were training these people?! Shouldn’t it have been harder for him to get a jump on them??_

Ace shrugged, putting on the uniform and stashing his clothes in his bag, hiding it in a bush nearby

With the sheer amounts of recruits the World Government Forces get, nobody would be able to tell he wasn’t one of their own

He could just say he was new if he was questioned!

_This was going to be so easy!_

Ace quietly walked into the base, acting as if he belonged there and people were buying it, making him smirk quietly

_What a bunch of dopes!_

But as soon as Ace walked in through the main gate and after the security check, the sweet smell of food overwhelmed his senses and Ace’s stomach growled loudly

_He was getting pretty hungry!_ Moda’s piece of bread was nice, but it wasn’t enough for him – especially not after all the running he did after his breakfast!

Ace followed the smell right to the Mess Hall and smiled

He was a recruit right now! Meaning he could eat!

Ace happily made his way to the buffet-style tables of food and grabbed himself plate after plate of food, piling it all up on trays – he loved when he could eat as much as he wanted like this!

He brought the food to an empty spot at the benches and happily started to dig in, ignoring the horrified looks of the recruits around him, probably from the amount of food, but still kept his guard up, just in case

_“- the old bastard had it coming! You can’t go on reigning like that for years and not expect someone to want to go after you!”_

Ace’s ears perked up at the conversation booming over the other conversation going on as he kept eating

_“-to have one of your oldest members stab one of your own? That’s pretty intense, you have to admit!”_

_“Whatever, I don’t care! Whitebeard is nothing but a cowardly old bastard who hides behind his thousand ‘children’ – he’s nothing more than a joke”_

Ace saw nothing but red as he stood up and went to go find the source of the voice and punched him right in the face

“Heard you talking shit about Whitebeard!! He’s the greatest man that’s ever lived!” yelled Ace, standing over the recruit who he just sent flying to the ground “You take that back!”

_“What the hell?!”_

_“You can’t do that!”_

_“GET HIM!”_

Oh _fuck_

 

Ace took off running down the hallway, opening random doors as he tried to escape, going down one hallway after another as the crowd of recruits chased after him

Was this going to be his whole day!? Being chased like this!

Suddenly he bumped into a man, sending both of them backwards slightly

Ace groaned, looking at the man he just bumped into and he was thrilled

The man was exactly his size and they had similar hair – _perfect_

“What the blazes do you think you’re d-“

Before the man had the chance to finish his sentence, Ace punched him, knocking him right out and Ace dragged his unconscious body into the unlocked room

_Excellent_

 

Ace frowned as he tried to straighten his tie with no avail

He never properly learned how to tie a damn thing, he should get on that

Thankful once again for his insistence of carrying fake facial hair in case of emergencies, Ace must say he looked rather smashing with a small mustache!

Ace took one step outside the room and was instantly accosted by a recruit; reminding him that he had a staff meeting

Huh, guess he was going to a staff meeting

Ace merely shrugged and made his way to the meeting room with the escort, snickering quietly that the man hadn’t realized that he wasn’t his superior

_Dumbass_

 

Okay, _so slight problem_

Vice Admiral Comil was in front of him at the end of the table

_That was good!_

But how could Ace deliver the damn letter without revealing himself in front of all these high ranking World Government officials?

Who probably would kill him the moment they found out who he actually was

Also, the bigger problem is that this was probably the nastiest, most bitter coffee he’s ever had and now he was so upset that he didn’t have Moda’s amazing milk because _urgh this coffee was gross_

And everyone around the table seemed to agree

Honestly, Ace was rather shocked that these people were having a meeting on Christmas Day

“-So even though this is an inconvenience for everyone here, I thank you all for coming on your day off because the secret report is finally coming in today from the scouting mission and it’s attention is the most important thing right now. We need to get those papers and be informed of what’s written on them before we will completely destroy them. This is their only copy. So it needs to be disposed of right away after, before they get in anybody’s hands that they shouldn’t be in” explained Comil as he discreetly spat his coffee back in his cup

_Urgh, don’t blame you, dude_

“Is the transport arriving soon?” asked the man wearing a leopard print suit which Ace definitely needs to figure out a way to get one of those too!

_That thing looked AWESOME!_

“Any moment, we’re going to move this meeting outside to go greet the transport and after that, everyone can go home” informed Comil as he stood up, but suddenly a recruit ran into the room, panicking

“SIR! SIR! The transport! Something happened! There was an explosion and it caught on fire! The driver is caught inside! We think it hit one of the IED that we have planted around the base”

Ace quickly stood up

_Shit! This could be bad!_

 

They all quickly made their way inside, and as said, the whole transport vehicle was on fire, the flames blazing tall and strong

Ace snarled, remembering how his Garp had told his many times that usually the people who die in military vehicle accidents is due to them being trapped in their own vehicle

So Ace ran

Everyone screamed at him to stop as Ace ran to the vehicle on fire and lunged inside, rolling back on his feet

Of course this had to be one that was freaking huge, but at least if would be a direct route to the driver

The canvas covering was completely ablaze as Ace quickly made his way towards the front, spotting the unconscious driver at the wheel

Ace frowned, grabbing the man, patting down the flames on him and managed to pull him out of his seat, backwards into the backend of the vehicle

Ace then grinned, spotting the suitcase on the passenger seat and due to the explosion; it seemed to have been knocked open

_Oh shit, perfect!_

He pulled the suitcase into the back as well and quickly scanned through the content inside and grabbed a handful of papers and shoved them inside his suit. He hoped he saw what he hoped he did – but the flames were getting worst and Ace could only be so tolerant to the heat. Ace closed the suitcase and grabbed both the man and suitcase and started to make his way out of the vehicles as quickly as he could

Ace quickly climbed out of the vehicles and carried the man to the others who were waiting impatiently, cheering loudly when they saw Ace climb out

Ace brought both the man and the suitcase to the edge of the base, setting them down as the paramedics went to go help the unconscious driver

Ace sighted in relief as the paramedics seemed hopeful for the driver and jumped slightly when the transport completely blew up

_Holy shit!_

“-H-He’s STILL ON FIRE!”

Ace blinked, looking at the screaming and freaking out recruits and officials

What the hell was their problem?

_Why where they looking at him?_

Ace blinked again and turned to look at where they were looking and noticed that yeah, _his suit was still on fire!_

He quickly patted down the flames on his shoulder with his bare hands, hissing

Ace always hated doing that, it made his hand sting for a while

“W-WAIT! HE’S NOT THE CAPTAIN! THE CAPTAIN ISN’T SWOLE LIKE THAT!” yelled one of the recruits

_Did he really just say ‘swole’?!_

_Wait_

_Oh shit!_

“Who the hell is he?!” yelled someone else

_Fuck!_

“GET HIM!”

And Ace took off running again

But before he could get too far, Ace climbed up the side of the building and threw himself backwards iff the wall. It allowed him to vault over the crowd of recruits and land right in front of Vice Admiral Comil

“Sir! I was sent to deliver this letter to you! Good day!” said Ace quickly as he pulled Moda’s letter out of his pocket and handed it to Comil who took it, clearly stunned and Ace shoved himself through the crowd of people and escaped again

_Mission completed!_

 

Ace quickly made it back to the forest, his bag in hand and quickly pulled out his bike from where he hid it. He quickly got on the bike, hearing the voices yelling as they got closer to him and started the Stryker up – driving away as fast as he could

Once he was a few miles out, he parked his bike on the side of a path and got off of it, catching his breath

_Holy shit, he’s run away a lot today!_

Ace grabbed his bag and took off the charred off remains of the suit he was wearing and put back his own clothes, throwing the remains on the side of the road with the identity badge on top

Ace didn’t feel like being hunted down for such nonsense as identity theft

He plopped down on the ground; leaning against the bike as he looked through the documents he stole thought

_And jackpot!_

It seems the World Government was tracking Teach’s movements as well – they called him Blackbeard in their reports, so Ace was glad he trusted his gut and took those documents

It seems that that Teach was last spotted heading to a town called Banaro

Ace took out his map from his bag and quickly looked through it and grinned when he found the small spot. Banaro was a couple of day’s drive from here, but if Ace pushed through, he could make it in two days

Looking through the map again, he now needed to find the closest town heading to Banaro-

He really needed some rest but thankfully the next town was about two hours drive

Ace looked up at the sky and then his watch, if he’s lucky, he’ll make it before sunset

But if that was the case, he needed to get going

 

Just as the sun set, it also started to snow. Ace knew that he needed to find some sort of shelter or he’d be in big trouble – his bike was good, but driving in the snow with her during a storm was just too damn risky

Especially considering that the town is apparently an overstatement and it was more like a tiny tiny village with only one inn

Ace was surprised to hear so much action at the inn, there seemed to be booming festivities in their reception hall as Ace walked to the front desk after having put a tarp over his bike in the parking lot – which looked rather full

“Uh, hi, I’d like a room please?” Ace asked the receptionist who looked at him surprised

“Oh wow! It’s so rare to actually see a traveler in these parts! Usually it’s parents looking for a break who book our rooms or relatives for events like weddings and funerals! Let’s see what I have left!” stated the man as he looked through the log, checking to see if he had an opening

“Wow, it’s uh, awfully busy here tonight” pointed out Ace as he saw a couple laughing as they staggered out rather drunk from the reception hall

Ace lifted a brow

Getting drunk might not be such a bad idea tonight

“Why yes! There’s a wedding here you see! The reception is in full-swing right now!” said the receptionist happily, clapping his hands together “Aren’t Christmas weddings so romantic?!”

Ace huffed, trying not to hide how lonely he instantly felt

“Yeah, really romantic, must be nice”

“Ah! Sir! You’re in luck! We have exactly one room open! But ah, it’s the Honeymoon suite”

Ace frowned

 “Aren’t the bride and groom taking that?”

“Oh no no, sir, we have two Honeymoon suites! But since it’s our only room left, I’m willing to only charge you the rate of a regular room but it will come with all the usual accommodations usually included in the honeymoon suite rental!”

Ace nodded, trying to stay friendly

_A room’s a room – and he needed rest_

“Thank you! I’ll take it”

 

_Ace never regretted his decision more in his life_

The room was actually a separate little cottage in the back of the building to begin with

It had total privacy and was small and cozy. It had a rounded bed with red and white silk sheets and pillows and also rose petals strewed all over the bed with chilled champagne in a bucket as a complimentary gift from the inn

There was a small Jacuzzi made for two people in the room as well as two red velvet plush seats in the back surrounding a small table for a romantic dinner for two

The room was so beyond romantic that Ace’s heard was shattering into pieces

On the bright side, the thick red and gold velvet blackout curtains will be great to hide the fact that Ace had every intention of downing that entire bottle of champagne to forget how miserable he felt at that moment

Ace quickly shoved all the petals off the bed, not wanting to deal with any of that as he took his cellphone out of his bag

Thankfully Moda had been able to save his phone from the icy river of death

_Stupid town people_

Ace quickly turned on the phone and called Marco, hanging up the moment Marco picked up

The message was sent – he was fine

Ace then quickly turned off his phone as instructed and started to take off his clothes, dumping them on the ground in a childish act of rebellion

_Here you go, stupid super romantic room, gonna fuck you up!_

Now in his boxers, he knew he should probably go shower and try to relax, but he bitterly grabbed the bottle of champagne, uncorked it and fell back onto the bed

_Fuck it; he’ll be filthy and drunk_

 

Ace frowned as he pulled the champagne bottle from his lips

_This shit tasted like shit!_

_But it was free_ , so he should shut up and just drink it

His head was spinning slightly, he wasn’t drunk yet, juuuuuust on the cusps and he knew it

Ace sighed heavily, wondering for the fourty-fifth time since he started drinking why there wasn’t a fucking tv in this room

Probably since honeymooners were too busy having sex or some shit to watch tv

_Uuurrrrgghh_

Ace took another look at his phone and frowned, turning it on

This whole thing was so dumb, keep your phone closed and shit

Bah

Paranoid Marco is paranoid

He wanted to play a game like Love Live or some shit, naw, probably couldn’t keep a steady enough hand

While trying to click on another icon, Ace accidentally hit the phone icon and the screen popped up to type a number

_Oh, okay_

Ace quickly dialed the Captain’s number by memory and held the phone up to his ear

He’ll hang up the moment he heard the other’s voice, Ace just needed to hear it, _just a little_

But once the answering machine answered, Ace groaned hotly when he heard Smoker’s recorded message, whining softly at the end as he could feel himself getting hard. Ace’s hand quickly went between his legs as he massaged himself through his boxers

But once he heard the beep, Ace couldn’t help himself

“Hey, I just wanted to call to wish you a merry Christmas, I hope you had a great one, I want you to have a best Christmas, fuck, I miss you, I miss you so fucking much, I love you so much, so so much, I’m such an idiot, I shouldn’t have called, but I’m lonely and cold and I miss your touch right now,  and I want you to be happy and it’s when I’m alone that I realize just how much I los-“

And then another beep signaled the end of the recording period and Ace frowned, turning off his phone and chucked his phone on top of his bag

_This was so fucking dumb_

This room was amazing though, Ace really wished at that moment that Smoker was here with him

They could take a nice long soak in the warm Jacuzzi, eat a nice meal at the table, sitting in the plush seats and they could make love on the bed all night long, just basking in each other’s presence

*

Ace bit his lip as he felt his dick jerk slightly in his boxers at the images in his head as he laid back on the bed, putting the bottle of champagne down on the nightstand

Ace’s hand was slowly working its way down Ace’s chest

He could see it so _vividly_

_Ace could see Smoker walking around the room, merely in his boxers as he surveyed the area, unable to help himself, Ace would tease him lightly about it, patting the space on the bed besides him as he drank up the sight of his gorgeous boyfriend’s body_

Ace bit his lip, closing his eyes, arching his back as his hand dragged lower and lower down his chest, putting just enough pressure to lightly tease himself

_Smoker would then make his way to the bed, sitting down on the side of it. Ace would instantly lean over him, pressing his chest against Smoker’s strong muscular back, breathing in deeply the other’s scent_

Ace opened his eyes, rolling over slightly to his side and leaned over the edge of the bed, rummaging through his bag

He grinned brightly, pulling out the small waterproof bag he had and opened it; taking out a cigar

Ace took his lighter and lit the cigar, inhaling deeply as Smoker’s scent filled up the room. He put the lit cigar down on the ashtray on the nightstand

Yes, this was _perfect_

_Now the room smelled of him_

And if he’s lucky-

Ace opened up the nightstand and let out a pleased sound

Apparently this being the honeymoon suite meant that the nightstands where fully-loaded with condoms and lube!

Ace took out the bottle of lube and took one condom, setting it aside, not quite sure what he was in the mood for right now

With the bottle in hand, Ace unsealed the cap, thankful that it was a brand new bottle. and poured a generous amount on his fingers and capped the bottle back up, throwing it on the sheets and laid back. With his free hand he pulled his boxers off, hissing loudly as he felt the cold air on his hard dick

He quickly kicked the boxers off and laid back down on the bed, continuing his fantasy

_Now Smoker was over him, peppering small kisses down his face, his neck, taking a moment to bite the base of Ace’s neck, making him groan loudly_

Ace grabbed his cock, pumping it slowly at first

_Smoker’s hand was suddenly on his dick, stroking Ace as he licked and sucked on Ace’s neck_

Ace’s free hand went down once again his chest, softly rubbing his thumb over his nipple, enjoying the small shocks of pleasure that ran through his body as he moaned softly

_He would run his hand through Smoker’s thick hair, god Ace loved his hair, feeling the stubble slightly scratching up his chest as Smoker kept kissing and licking his way down Ace’s chest as he kept stroking Ace – making the other go mad, wanting Smoker to go faster_

Ace teased the head of his dick with his thumb as he kept stroking himself faster, moaning and arching his back

_“Stop teasing me!”Ace would say, playfully giving Smoker’s hair a small tug_

_Ace would bite his lip to restrain himself from moaning as he felt Smoker’s chuckle on his stomach_

_“Impatient brat” Smoker would mutter against his hip bone as he kept going down “Patience is a virtue”_

_“I’m no saint, old man!” would reply Ace, rolling his hips slightly to match the rhythm set by Smoker “I want you so bad”_

_Smoker would then grab the lube as he kept stroking Ace, but would slightly slow down to make sure Ace wouldn’t finish too fast_

Ace grabbed the condom he set aside and quickly opened it. He stuck a few fingers inside and coated the exterior of the condom with more lube and started to work the fingers inside

Ace hissed slightly, trying to tell his tipsy brain that he needs to slow down _, to breathe_ , that Smoker would never hurt him, _not like this_

He exhaled as he slowed down. Ace teased the rim, slowly working a finger inside, carefully

Ace groaned loudly, throwing his head back, closing his eyes tight. He arched his back, allowing his body to accept the intrusion

_“Shhh, breathe, relax” muttered Smoker, kissing Ace’s jawline as he kept stroking Ace as he worked his fingers inside, stretching Ace out_

Ace’s hand restarted to stroke his cock, feeling himself nearing the plateau, knowing that he won’t have long at all until he finishes

Ace carefully worked the fingers inside, once there was three, he started to pump them in and out of himself. Ace rocked his hips in turn, vividly imagining something else

_Smoker pushed himself inside, his hand grabbing Ace’s hip. Once Ace adjusted to the other man’s girth, Smoker started to thrust inside, making Ace cry out_

_Ace pulled Smoker’s face in; hand gripped on Smoker’s hair and pushed their faces together, desperately wanting to kiss Smoker – who happily obliged_

Ace’s stroke were getting faster and more erratic as he rocked his hips at the same rhythm of the hand he was working inside of himself

_The two hotly kissed as Ace’s other hand gripped his cock, stroking it himself so that Smoker can move his hand elsewhere. Smoker gripped Ace’s other leg, hooking it over his shoulder as he picked up the pace_

_“Y-Yes!” moaned Ace inside the kiss, feeling Smoker able to go in deeper and harder_

_Ace loved it so much when they were in this position – he loved being able to kiss Smoker like this while the other was making him see stars_

_He loved him so much; he felt so close to Smoker when they were like this_

_Ace was so close and Smoker was losing his rhythm, so Ace knew that he was close to – so close_

_He missed this so much_

Ace let out a loud cry when he came, his eyes snapping open as reality crashed into him

*

He was completely alone

Smoker wasn’t there to give him soft kisses and hold him as he came down from his high

Smoker wasn’t there to bark about how he wasn’t going to sleep on stained sheets

Smoker wasn’t there to take a bath with him afterwards or shower as they both cooled down their bodies

Smoker wasn’t there

Ace winced as he removed his fingers from himself and brought his other hand to remove the condom on his fingers and groaned displeased when he saw his hands where coated in his come

_Fucking hell_

Making a displeased noise, Ace removed the condom with the hand anyways and threw it in the garbage. Then he huffed angrily and laid back annoyed, holding up his dirty hand

Fuck it, _he was gonna wipe it on the sheets_

Ace groaned, knowing that wasn’t very nice and not fair to the cleaning staff

He then rolled over, forcing himself to go to the bathroom to wash up

And after, _he was going to finish that whole fucking bottle and get piss ass drunk_

_Merry fucking Christmas_

He really wished he was home right now

Man he can’t wait to collect Teach’s fucking head

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd there we have it! I wanted to give you all one last happy(?) chapter for a while because in the next chapter it's December 26th and shit's about to go down back to back to back
> 
> On that note; there might be a slight change with the posting schedule! But worry not - it's because I have the chapters all the way to the end all planned (with titles and all!) and I might be adding a second update during the week! So like, two chapters a week, not sure yet, I'll have to see how well I can crank them out, but don't be shocked if you see another update in the middle of the week! No guarantee though! Only the Sunday update is a guarantee for now!


	87. -LAW- You'll Meet a Tall, Dark, Stranger (Except you know him and he's a goddamn asshole!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh sorry! I failed to do two updates this week! My apologies! I got sick this week and it kinda threw me for a loop, oh well, there's always next week!

 

 

 

“You sure you don’t wanna come? I’m sure we can afford more plane tickets between all of us and we can snuggle up tight in the rooms! The more, the merrier!“

Law smiled, gripping Luffy’s hands in his. Luffy’s flight to the all-expense paid ski resort was leaving soon and Law had to deal with the fact that he wouldn’t see Luffy for a while

He knew deep down it was a mistake to see Luffy off in the first place

He knew Luffy would plead and beg him to come along for the trip

_But he just couldn’t_

“I can’t Luffy, this isn’t about me not wanting to hang out with you, _it’s about Cora_ ”

Luffy looked at him confused, tipping his head to the side

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with mister Rosisisi?”

Law blinked, realization hitting him like a brick

_He never told Luffy why he was bailing!_

All he said was ‘we can’t come on the trip anymore’!

“Oh, shit, uh” stumbled Law, rubbing the back of his neck “You see-“

“If you’re doing this for mister Rosisisi, then it’s okay” stated Luffy, interrupting Law as he smiled warmly “You wouldn’t have any fun anyways if you spent the whole time worrying about mister Rosisisi!”

Law looked at Luffy surprised, not sure what to make of what the other just said

“But send me a text every day, okay?” asked Luffy, almost shyly “I want to tell you about everything we’re doing and I want to know what you’re up to!”

Law nodded, about to say something but the loud boarding call came over the intercom – Luffy needed to go catch his flight

“C’mon Luffy!” called out Usopp, the others had already crossed to the boarding area, not wanting to disturb the two

Luffy lunged forward, kissing Law softly before running off to meet his friends

Law smiled sadly, hoping this wouldn’t be the last moment they saw each other

 

“Soo…what now?” asked Penguin as he sighed, holding on to his snowboard

To make sure Cora believed them about going on the trip, they had to actually pack their things as if they were going. Cora offered to drive them to the airport and bring the van back home, but Law refused, stating that they were arriving back from the trip right in the middle of Cora’s shift, so it wouldn’t work out anyways and he painfully relented

Cora had hugged both him and Bepo tight, whispering in their ears to be careful and try not to do anything too stupid

Law hated that he was going to disappoint him

“We’re going to settle in the van” started Law as he waved to Jean Bart who had just walked into the airport to join them “since we’re going to be living in it until next year”

“Aye aye, Captain!” said all the Heart members

“Now grab your stuff, we’re going on a stakeout”

 

“Are you sure this is the place?” asked Penguin, well, _more like Penguing whined_

“Yes, when high security people arrive, they come in from that terminal” explained Jean Bart, handing over the binoculars to Shachi so he can keep a watch

Law insisted they take shifts because otherwise one might get bored and stop paying attention to the planes that are coming in

“How are we sure we’re going to recognize him anyways?” asked Penguin, leaning back on the van’s seat

They had parked about a mile away from the airport, far enough to not get spotted, but close enough that they could see what kind of planes landed and _especially who was coming off of them_

“You can’t miss him” stated Law, a medical book in hand “He wears this giant pink coat and he’s bigger than Cora”

“Bigger than Cora?!”

“Yeah, they’re kinda built the same too, so you really can’t miss him” continued Law, sighing and putting down his book and pulled out his sketchpad

He only had a few coloured pencils and a sharpy, but he should be able to doodle Doflamingo well-enough

He had a pink and a yellow highlighter and frankly that’s all he really needed

“Did the intel say he was going to arrive today?” asked Bepo as he looked over the maps in front of him – he was trying to figure out the best place to park the van tonight so they could stay out of sight but still rest and watch

“See, that’s the thing, no. The Warlords are supposed to be arriving before the 31rst, that’s all we know” explained Law, frustrated

His drawing was turning out pretty good though! For once, Law was glad that Doflamingo’s face was burned into his memory

This stakeout might wind up lasting a couple of days at this point though, that, he wasn’t so much glad about

“Hmm, by the look of this tracker, that’s the last plane scheduled to arrive tonight. Bepo, did you find a place?” asked Jean Bart, putting down his makeshift plane tracking system – it really just hacked into the airport’s main command center

Bepo nodded, smiling

“Yeah! There’s this overpass we can hide under! It’s not in use anymore since they built a new road, but from there we should be able to see with the binoculars if any cars take the private road behind the airport”

Law sighed, slightly relieved

He was already getting really tired; lying to Cora always took so much energy from him

“Good, we’ll go there and get some rest. Someone will always stay awake and keep watch and someone will be sent out to grab us some food. Now, _be absolutely sure that you’re not spotted by anyone who would tell Cora – okay?!”_

“Aye Captain!”

 

Law groaned, carrying the bags of supplies

_Of course he had to get the winning straw_

Looking around, Law frowned slightly, he was sure there was supposed to be some sort of small back street he could take around here. But it was really dark and Law didn’t want to use his phone to create any sort of light source that would make someone suspicious

They had to make absolutely sure they weren’t spotted by anyone they knew, and that was proving to be harder than he thought

It seemed like every store had goddamn after-Christmas sales, so he swore that everyone he knew was about and about shopping!

_Christmas is over, aren’t you all broke?!_

Law huffed slightly, getting fed up carrying so many bags. He was annoyed that even this late at night, he was forced to take the back roads and also kinda regretted refusing Bepo’s help. Bepo had offered to go with him to help carry the supplies but Law turned him down

It’s easier to spot a group that it was to spot one person, but now it was making his trek back to the van a total goddamn pain and much longer than it should have been considering he had to take massive detours to not be seen

_“Well well well, look what the cat dragged in”_

Law instantly stiffened up, turning around to spot a small, narrow alley and leaning against the wall was none other than Kidd Eustass

_Fuck, of all days to not bring his nodachi with him!_

_Fuck it; he’ll stab Kidd with a plastic knife if he has to!_

“Good, I was looking for that alley, now move it” snarled Law, walking up to Kidd and trying to push him out of the way, well, as much as he could with his hands filled with shopping bags – but Kidd stopped him

“Whoah whoah, relax man, I wanted to share some advice with ya, but you ain’t answering your phone”

Law paused

Kidd was trying to call him? _Was that why his phone kept vibrating earlier?_

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m telling ya that if you want to claim any territories or raise some hell, now’s the time” explained Kidd, with a big smirk

“The fuck? This is all Whitebeard territory, you idiot, they’re going to fucking string you up if they catch you” warned Law

Especially right now with Marco’s foul ass mood

Kidd only laughed, shaking his head

“Nope! The Whitbeards have been rather non-existent for a bit now! So we’ve been raising hell and stealing their sales and their merch” admitted Kidd boastfully

Oh shit, every since Thatch-

Marco did say that they didn’t want to lose any more of their own!

_But this is a little excessive!_

_Who leaves a territory this unguarded?!_

“If I was you though, I’d scram” said Law “There’s a shit-ton of World Government agents coming into town and the Warlords are coming-in too in the coming days. But hey, if you want to go get yourself killed, it wouldn’t bother me at all, man!”

Kidd barked a laugh, slapping Law’s shoulder

“You’re fucking funny, you know that? You know what makes you big? Taking a motherfucking Warlord down! Honestly I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot! I love knocking assholes down from their high horses”

_Oh give me a break!_

“The fuck man? You know they’re fucking Warlords because they can kick the shit out of an idiot like you, right? Just because you’re a fucking lunatic who goes after little old grannies and shit doesn’t mean you have what it takes to take down a Warlord!” yelled Law

_Law had no idea why he was getting so riled up at Kidd talking like taking down a Warlord was as easy as taking a shit_

“That’s sure fucking funny coming from you”

Law paused, unsure of what to make of what Kidd just said

“Your van’s parked by the overpass by the airport, right? Hawkins said he spotted you guys there”

Law frowned, trying to keep his cool so he smirked, to keep his anger in check

“You gossiping about me? How about you get a life, man?”

“Don’t talk shit like that – you’ve been watching planes land. Meaning you’re probably waiting on those Warlords coming in – now tell me, which one you want? If you want, we could work together to take one of those motherfuckers down” offered Kidd, almost gleefully

Law paused

_Now that was an interesting idea_

But with Kidd?

“No fucking way am I working with you. You do too much collateral damage and I don’t want to have my fucking face splattered everywhere with talk of being responsible for murdering a family or some shit!”

Cora would be rather pissed off at him and _he’d be grounded forever_

“Alright alright, don’t get your panties in a twist, it was just an idea. You’re a bitch to work with anyways, all prissy and all ‘don’t touch me’” mocked Kidd, waving his hands

Law growled slightly, getting fed up with this

“Listen, what I do is none of your fucking business! I’m letting you know that if you’re smart, you’ll goddamn scram from here, _capire_? But then again, look at who I’m fucking talking to” spat out Law, taking a step forward, hoping that Kidd would move out of his way

_Why was this bastard so bulky and the alley so fucking small?!_

“Maybe I’m in the mood for a little chaos”

“They’re here to take down the Whitebeards, asshole, I don’t think you’re going to bother them too much but if anything, they’ll have someone else to capture”

Kidd paused for a moment and then crossed his arms, smirking

“How come you know all this shit anyways? Your little piggy daddy tell you all of that?” mocked Kidd

Law’s eye twitched slightly – he didn’t like cops, _but he didn’t appreciate Cora being mocked like that_

“You wish your ugly ass had the intel that I can get my hands on! Now, get the fuck out of my way or I’ll pound your head into the concrete” warned Law, taking another step forward, his and Kidd’s faces now only a few inches apart as Law snarled

 

“You doing okay over there, boss?”

Law backed up slightly as Killer came out of the shadow behind Kidd

_Jesus fuck the guy got considerably more jacked than the last time Law saw him_

Also, what the fuck was with the mask?!

“Oh good, _Jason’s here_ ” said Law sarcastically

“Naw, I’m fine Killer, you see, Law here is more fucking talk than anything else really” stated Kidd, making Law’s blood boil even more

“He had a point though; it might be time for us to make ourselves scarce. Hawking’s and his gang went to go hide and so did many other of the Worst Gen” pointed out Killer

“Aww how nice, he’s looking out for you” teased Law smirking

“Shut the fuck up, Law” snapped Kidd “Look, what kind of intel do you have anyways?”

“What I told you – they’re here for the Whitebeards meaning not one Warlord is coming, _all of them are_. And you’re right, I’m here to take one down, but that had nothing to do with you” explained Law

“Pfft, I bet you’re after Doflamingo. He was your previous boss and I don’t see you starting shit with people for no reason. Then again, many people probably want to smash your face in – but that’s due to your lack of manners and your shitty attitude”

Law promptly flipped him off, not impressed

“It’s a revenge kill, has nothing to do with you” admitted Law

Kidd blinked, looking at Law surprised

“Holy shit, did I hear that right? Law’s gonna pop his cherry? _You’re actually going to off a guy?”_

Law rolled his eyes

“I’m not popping my cherry, dumbshit. What did you think I did in the Doflamingo gang, my fucking hair or some shit?”

Law internally bristled slightly, _he hated talking about the shit he did during that time_

“Haha, I knew there was a reason we’re friends!” said Kidd laughing as he clapped his hands

“ _This is us being friends_?” asked Law, genuinely confused “This is how you treat your friends?”

“Shut the fuck up, Law, you should see how I treat the people I don’t like”

Okay, _fair_

“So you’re really taking down Doflamingo, huh?” asked Kidd, completely in awe “Well shit, can’t wait to hear about that one. How about me and you meet up for drinks after and you tell me all about it, you know, if you can still function after he rips out your spine and uses it as a scarf”

“ _You can’t function if your spine is ripped out, you jackass_ ” corrected Law

He was hungry and annoyed and _just wanted to get back to his fucking van!_

“That’s the point, dumbnuts” said Kidd as he moved out of the alley, Killer following suite

Law rolled his eyes, walking right past the two and down the alley, wanting to get away from them as fast as possible

“Oh Law?”

Law groaned, whipping his head back frowning

_“What now?!”_

“I wasn’t kidding about that drink, stay alive, won’t ya?”

Law shook his head, flipping Kidd off one more time as he walked away, hearing Kidd’s laugh echo in the alleyway

 

Once back on the main street, Law looked around and spotted a path going through the forest that he took to get the supplies right across the street

Thank God, he was getting really tired now and just wanted to crash

After the interaction with Kidd, he was annoyed, tired of holding the bags of food and just wanted to get back to the van

As he stepped out into the light though, he spotted something and instantly went right back into the alley

_Son of a bitch, it was Cora!_

Law watched quietly from the alley as Cora parked his squad car and got out of it carrying what seemed to me _…a bundle of blankets?_

Cora walked up to what looked like an old homeless man and offered the blankets to him and what seemed to be a brown bagged lunch

Law smiled softly to himself

It was so like Cora to have those things in the car in case he came across someone who needed it

Law watched the interaction and waited for Cora to leave, driving down the road

He sighed, looking up at the sky as Law rubbed his hands together

It was snowing lightly thankfully, so it wouldn’t get too cold, but sleeping in the van for week or so was going to be really fucking rough

_But he needed to do it_

_He needed to do it to make sure he protects Cora_

Even if his spine might wind up being Doflamingo’s new scarf

But even if it did, Law was going to make sure he strangled him while going down

_Cora needs to be safe_

Law then took out his cellphone, smiling at the text Luffy had sent him

Luffy had arrived safe at the resort

_And apparently Hancock was there too_

Law frowned sharply – _wasn’t she a Warlord?_

_The fuck?!_

_What the hell was going on?!_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Next week will be a long Cora chapter! I'm really excited since a lot of you kept asking for what's going to happen! Once again, I'm going to try to do two updates, but we'll see how my health holds up!


	88. -CORAZON- Holidays Are For Family Reunions (But I’d Rather Do Without This One!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go! Time for another Cora chapter! Keeping it brief this week because I'm really tired kadshlk

 

 

 

“It’s so quiet at home without the kids, huh?“

Cora blinked, looking up at Bellemere who was offering a sympathetic smile

He supposed with Nami also being gone, Bellemere was probably missing her too – _they had left a couple of days ago_

“Uh, yeah, it’s been kinda weird honestly” noted Cora, scratching the bridge of his nose

 

Law and Bepo had left for their ‘ski trip’ but since Cora knew they weren’t actually going, it was even _worst_

Instead of him just missing having them around, he now had to worry about what the ever living hell _they’re actually doing_

_Those bastards!_

Every time he’s out patrolling, he’s hoping to catch sight of them. He knows for a fact that neither Penguin or Shachi are home either, meaning that they’re probably all together

Cora exhaled loudly, trying to sound more sad than _really annoyed_

“Any updates from Nami about the trip?” asked Cora

Bellemere chuckled, nodded

“Yeah! They’re having a real blast! It’s really good for her and Vivi to have this big trip together, you know? Considering that Vivi has to go home before the new semester starts” explained Bellemere, her expression becoming a sad one “Nami’s taking her leaving really hard”

“Understandable, long-distance is really hard apparently” noted Cora

“Speaking of long-distance – notice that the Captain’s always on the phone lately?” pointed out Bellemere quietly

“He was trying to track a number yesterday, but it didn’t seem to work” informed Cora

It was hard to miss the Captain and his oddly erratic state

He kept trying to track the same damn number over and over again

Cora figured that Ace probably called

On one hand, it meant that Ace _was able to call_ , so you know _, not dead_

But on the other hand, Ace being mobile meant it was harder for the World Government to track him down, which was good – but why where they still gathering up?

Over the last few days, Cora’s been spotting more and more agents and troops that he recognized – even people who he personally led on missions!

_Which was awkward as hell since he knew they were undercover_ , but this was worrying him

_Why where they still gathering in Goa?_

_Had they all been mistaken?_

_Was it not Ace after all?_

No, that was nonsense, _they knew it was Ace_ , they can’t be wrong about that

But why are they still gathering here?

Did they think that Ace would come home? Or is it…

_That he’s going to be forced to be dragged back home?_

Cora’s musing was disturbed by the very familiar sound of the skype messenger

Cora frowned sharply – if it was Law, _he was going to fucking kill him_

_Bepo wouldn’t worry him like this, so clearly this stupid brain-haired scheme was all Law_

Oh

_Doffy_

 

“What’s that face for?” asked Bellemere, surprised at Cora’s sudden change of mood

“It’s my brother” muttered Cora, quickly opening up the skype window

_OH SURE, FREEZE NOW, YOU PIECE OF SHIT PROGRAM_

Oh there

 

_D.D.Q._

_Hello, little brother_

_Great news! I just arrived in Goa and I would /love/ to see you_

 

Cora instantly felt all the blood leave his face as a feeling of pure horror overwhelmed him

_No! No! No!_

_Not when he didn’t know where Law and Bepo were!_

_Not now!_

“Holy shit, he’s here?!” cried out Bellemere, reading over Cora’s shoulder “Doflamingo’s in Goa?!”

_No! NO!_

Suddenly Cora heard the scrapping noise of many chairs as the entire police force gathered around his desk, looking over his shoulder at the message

_Not now not now not now!_

“ _What the hell is going on here?!_ Why aren’t any of you at your goddamn stations?! I swear if you’re watching fucking vine compilations again, _you’re all fucking working on New Year’s Eve_!” hollered Smoker as he came out of his office

_This isn’t the time! Not right now! He needed to know his boys are safe first!_

“No, sir! It’s Doflamingo!” answered Tashigi as Smoker shoved everyone out of the way and went right behind Cora

_No no no no no no_

“ _TRAFALGAR! SNAP OUT OF IT AND ANSWERED THE FUCKING ASSHOLE!”_  barked Smoker, slamming his hand down on the desk besides the keyboard

Cora jerked, broken out of his thoughts as he smashed his knees into his desk, cursing loudly

“Fuck shit yeah, sorry”

_Sorry, I’m fully booked, I don’t have time_

 

Cora bit his lip, he knew that wouldn’t deter Doffy, and soon enough, an answer came in

_D.D.Q._

_Relax, baby brother_

_I’m under a contract and I can’t lay a single finger on you or I lose all this privilege! I wouldn’t want to make Sengoku sad, now would I? I just want to say hello_

_It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, we should catch up_

 

 Cora could feel the bile rising in his throat

He knew that this wouldn’t even remotely stop or deter Doflamingo

_No! He needed to keep a cool head!_

  _Sorry. Super busy with work, I just can’t’_

 

Cora could feel the tense whispers behind him, the shuffling of the whole department and Smoker gripping the back of his chair

They all wanted to know what Doflamingo would say

But instead, Doflamingo merely logged off                 

“So…he’s given up?” asked Tashigi in a small voice, surprised

“No, it means he’s not sharing anymore” replied Smoker, growling slightly “ _Which is worst_ ”

“I-I’m sorry, I-“ started Cora, freaking out slightly                           

_He fucked up!_

_He royally fucked up!_

“ _Don’t apologize_ ” snapped Smoker “He wanted to toy with you and you didn’t let him! Keep a cool head, Trafalgar! You know as well as I do that Doflamingo isn’t goddamn done with this, this isn’t the time for you to lose it!”

Cora exhaled loudly

The Captain was right

But with everything going on, _Cora was slightly going mad_

_He’s not sure when’s the last time he even slept properly_

“Think of it this way, if that fucker tries anything, that’s just one less thing to worry about for you” teased Smoker

Cora looked at Smoker, not sure if he was surprised or horrified at the joke

“I assure you _, my brother is awful company_ ”

“S’fine, so am I” promised Smoker before he stalked back to his office, once again, closing the door

 

“ _It’s been hours and nothing_ ” muttered Cora as he kept writing up the report

He expected Doffy to message him again or anything, but instead total silence

“I-I’ll go get him!” squeaked someone loudly from the front desk

Cora frowned slightly as Coby scrambled towards their desks, shaking like a leaf

“T-There’s s-someone at the d-desk and I-I think it’s D-D-“

Cora didn’t even wait for Coby to finish his message as he stood up and started to make his way to the front desk

“ROSI! NO!” yelled Bellemere as she shot up from her desk, panicking

“He came to see me, it’s only polite” replied Cora coldly, trying to keep his nerve

_And there he was_

Doflamingo Donquixote was at the police station, leaning over the counter looking bored

But the moment he spotted Cora, a wicked smirk formed on his face and Doflamingo stood at full height

Cora raised a brow

_What the fuck was the other wearing?!_

_Those orange pants were ugly as sin and it’s winter?? Why is his chest so exposed??_

_Glad to see the stupid pink feather coat was still a thing_

“Well, well, well, look who had a moment for his brother, his only blood – _you hurt me_ , you know, when you said you didn’t have time for me” started Doflamingo, keeping his smile but Cora didn’t miss the throbbing vein on Doflamingo’s brow

_The other was beyond pissed off_

Cora stood a good few feet away from Doflamingo, behind the counter but directly in front of him and pulled out his gun, aiming it right at Doflamingo

He didn’t give a shit right now if this cost him his job – _Doflamingo was too much of a threat_

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave” asked Cora politely, smiling as gently as he could

Once again, every officer at the station froze, watching the scene in shock

Even the people that where waiting in the station for services and such quickly scrambled out, not wanting to deal with the situation

“Oh ho ho! What’s this? You can’t lay a single finger on me! I’m under World Government protection right now!” warned Doflamingo, cackling

Cora cocked his revolver as his answer

“We don’t give a fucking shit about your protection, Doflamingo” stated Smoker from behind Cora  “You can’t just waltz into my station and expect to just walk out like you came in”

Cora wasn’t sure when the Captain showed up, but he wasn’t questioning it, rather thankful for the support

“Now, now, I just came to offer my precious little brother a deal, you see – You can put away your toy. _Especially since we both know that you don’t have the galls to actually use it_ ”

Cora winced slightly, knowing exactly what Doflamingo was insinuating, his hands started to shake slightly as the memory of that night rang through his head

And of course that was spotted instantly by Doflamingo who merely cackled

“ _So kind hearted, little one._ Now, here’s my offer so you won’t have to do something that your gentle soul can’t take. I will forever leave you alone and you’ll never hear from me again for the rest of your pathetic life on the condition that you quietly hand over Law” offered Doflamingo “And let’s be frank, _that’s awfully generous of me_ ”

“ _Forget it_ ” snapped Cora, his hands steadying on the revolver “Law deserves a happy, normal life!”

“Now, now, we both know Law’s actually like. There’s a deep hate festering in him and no amount of stupid high school shenanigans will ever fix that – I’ve spent too long and worked too hard to breed the boy to be my perfect right hand man! And now with the akumanomi you gave him? He’s absolutely perfect! You can see why I’m not willing to give that up” explained Doffy, a proud smile on his face as he cackled once more

“You’ll have Law over my dead body!” yelled Cora, tensing up, revolver steady and ready to shoot Doflamingo

Doflamingo paused for a moment, that throbbing vein returning on Doflamingo’s brow and now on his throat as a strained smile formed on his face

“Now, baby brother _, that can easily be arranged_ ” warned Doflamingo as he pulled out his own revolver

Cora jumped slightly when he suddenly heard multiple revolvers being taken out and cocked behind him

And from the corner of his eye, he saw that everyone in the station that was armed had their guns out, pointed right at Doflamingo

“You really think you can come into my goddamn station and threaten one of my men?” snarled Smoker as he walked up to Cora, standing beside him

“Now now, don’t be hasty! As I said, I’m protected”

“And as I said, _I don’t give a flying fuck_ ” reminded Smoker as he pulled out his own revolver “What the fuck are they really going to do to me? _Demote me_? You think I give a fucking shit? I’d take that over knowing that your ass is off the streets. Shit, I’ll even go to jail if I need to”

“Oh yes,  I remember hearing about you, the World Government’s _Stray Dog_ Chase Smoker, let’s see if you’re more bark than bite, shall we?”

“How about I make you an offer” started Smoker, surprising Cora

Since when did Smoker make deals with crooks?!

“You get to decide if you surrender yourself over without any holes in you or we collect your body with many holes plugged into you”

_Nevermind, that’s Smoker all right_

“You’re not one to make deals usually, are you?” asked Doflamingo, laughing “That doesn’t profit me at all”

“ _I don’t make deals with trash, I take it out_ ”

Cora was suddenly on the ground with Smoker on top of him as everyone started to shoot at Doflamingo overhead of them

“ _I’ll remember this, stray dog_!” threatened Doflamingo as the shots kept ringing out

But Cora heard him laughing all the way out as many officers took chase after him

_Doflamingo escaped_

 

Cora stayed on the ground as Smoker stayed on top of him until things grew quiet and then Smoker got off of him, sitting back on the ground

“Had to throw you down, you where in shooting range of the others” explained Smoker, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around at the total mess the station was currently in “Fuck, we’re going to be here all night writing the incident report”

Cora was still rather dazed as he sat back as well on the ground

“Thank you, you didn’t, you didn’t have to-“ started Cora, not sure how to word it

_Thank you for risking everything you’ve worked for for me?_

_Thank you for putting your life on the line for me?_

_Thank you for having the courage to shoot Doflamingo when I didn’t?_

“ _Stop talking_ ” ordered Smoker as he took a cigar and lit it up, inhaling deeply “I hate that fucking trash like that can walk around free because the government is corrupt enough to put those assholes on their payrolls. It’s why I left the World Government Forces, if anything I should thank you for giving me the chance to shoot at the fucker once in my life. Even if I only got to shoot once before I threw you on the ground”

Cora snorted, pulling out a cigarette himself and lit it up

_Sweet sweet nicotine_

“You know you put yourself on his hit-list, right? He holds grudges like a motherfucker” warned Cora

Smoker merely shrugged, a smirk on his face

“It’s fine, I’d rather be hated by shit like Doflamingo than liked. And I have to say, there seems to be good company on that list anyways”

Cora laughed, nearly choking on his cigarette as he lightly punched Smoker’s arm

“Fuck, we’re going to have to count every single bullet that was shot tonight, aren’t we?”

“Oh yeah, you better go drink a liter of coffee because your ass isn’t leaving this station until it’s fucking done” stated Smoker “Every single hole in my wall needs to be accounted for”

Bellemere ran back into the station, looking mad as hell

“He fucking got away! He had a car waiting for him right outside!”

“Yeah, he usually has a pretty solid escape plan, so I’m not surprised” informed Cora

“I can’t believe you two are brothers, _like holy fuck_ ” snarled Bellemere

Cora barked a laugh

“You don’t always get to pick family”

 

“Hey, that phone call you got that you keep trying to trace, it was from Ace, wasn’t it?” asked Cora, figuring the Captain might just be emotionally vulnerable enough to admit it now

It was now 2am and they were still trying to find every damn bullet that had been shot

Everyone that was still at the station was exhausted and at their wits end

Including the Captain

_Can’t say that Cora didn’t know when to take advantage of a situation_

“Yeah, he wished me a Merry Christmas, can’t trace it though” admitted Smoker, grumbling as he scraped another bullet out of the wall

“Good to know he’s alive” noted Cora, laughing slightly relieved

“You almost got fucking killed tonight and you care more about Ace?” questioned Smoker, raising a brow

“Of course, because if I think about how I almost died _again_ by the hand of my brother, I might cry. Because knowing Law, he’d go after Doflamingo and I’d rather not put Law right into Doflamingo’s hands, you know?” explained Cora, pushing his hair back, trying to get his heart to relax still

_Maybe it was all the coffee they had already_

“Speaking of Law” said Tashigi, walking up to both men and handing them each of a cup of coffee “I could of sworn I saw him at the CVS right off the highway to go to the airport last night! Does he have like, a goatee now?”

_Right, Cora had to kill Law himself_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!
> 
> Some of you have been asking for Doffy since the beginning, yeesh! Sorry for taking so long! We're not done with him though, noooot at all


	89. -ACE- Pretty Sure This Isn’t How Bloodletting Works (Not That It Works At All, Really)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Another exciting (?) chapter for you all! Confession though, it almost didn't come to be because work QUADRUPLED my hours this week, sobs

 

 

Ace sat on the rickety construction grid, carefully watching the scene yards away from him

_There he was_

Teach was wolfing down another goddamn cherry pie with the band of cronies he seems to have gathered in the short time Ace had started his hunt for Teach

They were all relaxing in a rather empty town, a few of them had their phones out, looking things over but also they seemed to be keeping a rather wide distance away from their boss

Ace can’t believe he finally found the bastard though, it had already been over a week and frankly Ace has had enough of this dumb game of cat and mouse

_It was the 28, wasn’t it? Ace was quickly losing track of time, honestly_

But if it was, it meant that Ace could be home before his birthday – _with his family_

But where the hell had these extra people come from?

Had the bastard gathered them a while ago; just waiting for the time where he’d betray the Whitebeards before going off on his own?

Or did he convince these dolts to join him along the way?

Ace frowned sharply, slipping his gloves on as he didn’t keep his eyes off Teach

He didn’t need to lose Teach from sight now

The fact that there’s was four maybe five more people to deal with now was going to be a problem. Ace could easily win usually in a group fight – but not when one of them was Teach

And not when Teach knew exactly how Ace fought either

His knife was sharpened, the weather was calm, Ace was awake

Ace was also thankful that Teach seemed to be hanging out in a rather isolated part of town – the last thing he needed was goddamn fucking _cops_ involved

But it was odd that Ace hadn’t really seen anyone period in the streets

_No, it wasn’t the time to figure out what the hell was wrong with this town_

_It was time to stop making excuses_

_It was time he got blood on his hands_

 

“Hey look, an article about the Strawhat gang” muttered Van Auger, reading off his phone

“ZE HA HA!! Did you read what they did!” yelled Teach “They directly attacked Ennies Lobby! Their bounty is going to go up again!”

A few other words were exchanged but Ace didn’t hear them as he got closer and sat down on the roof of a house, directly overlooking the group

“OF COURSE WE’LL GO! ZE HAHAHA! PREPARE TO GET GOING!”

_“HEY.”_

Suddenly the whole group stopped and looked up at Ace

Ace didn’t miss the look of utter shock on Teach’s face

_Good, you fucking son of a bitch!_

“Hold on, Teach” started Ace, frowning sharply as he threw his bag to the side, not needing to carry it while he was fighting “I’ve been looking for you”

His bike was carefully parked and hidden on the edge of town and he had discarded his jacket and shirt with his bike

_Ace needed to fight at his best_

“Well what do you know! It’s commander Ace!” yelled Teach with a huge grin on his face

“Stop it. _Don’t call me that anymore_ ” snarled Ace “Those words should only be used by people who say them with respect. You’re just making fun of me”

“Oh, you must be ‘Fire First’ Ace” corrected Teach

“That’s me. Nice to meet you!” _Damn Makino and teaching him goddamn manners_ “You’re a gang leader now, aren’t you? Head of the Blackbeard gang, Teach D.Marshall?”

“ZE HA HA HA!! Come on, Ace! It’s been a while! What’s up? How did you know I was here?!” asked Teach, the smile never leaving his face

But Ace could hear the slight anger in his voice

“Let’s cut to the chase, Teach” started Ace, cracking his knuckles; _he was fucking done with all these pleasantries_ “You’ve been around for a really long time. There’s no way you don’t understand this situation”

_Fuck Teach for acting like he was here on a social call or some bullshit!_

_This was for Thatch!_

“Yeah” stated Teach “Then let me ask you one thing”

Ace frowned, raising a brow

“Ace! Do you want to join me! Let’s take over the world together!”

It was really hard for him not to throw up right there and then, the bile rising up in his throat

_Like fuck he would!_

“I’ve already made my plans to rise to the top! Whitebeard’s Era is over! I will become the king of gangs! The ultimate Don!”

Ace didn’t have any particular respect for the man who sired him, _but the idea of fucking trash like Teach having Roger’s title disgusted him_

“…I’m gonna go kill the leader of the Strawhat gang at this resort that he’s apparently staying at on some ski trip and I’ll present him to the Government as a gift!” declared Teach

Ace only saw red

“Leader of the Strawhats? What did you say?”

“What? You know who it is?” asked Teach, seemingly happy with that information

“That’s another reason not to let you run loose – he’s my little brother Luffy!” started Ace, grinding his teeth “ _And of course I’m not going to join you!”_

But before Ace could finish his sentence, bullets went flying right by his head that Ace only narrowly missed

_What the fuck?!_

“Look like we have a guy here with no manners!” yelled Ace, shifting his hands into two finger guns and used his gloves to shoot fireballs at the group as they all screamed, scattering around

Suddenly a giant plank of plywood went flying near Ace’s head, but thankfully Ace narrowly avoided it, setting it on fire in the process

“FUCK! OGRE! BURGESS! _Who told you to attack him?!_ You guys aren’t up to his level yet!! Stay out of this!” screamed Teach, clearly distraught

Ace took the moment of distraction to launch a powerful surge of fire at the ground and took joy in the cries of pain he was hearing

“AHH!! HOT HOT HOT!”

“BOSS!”

“BOSS!”

“SHUT UP! STAND BACK!”

Teach grunted as he stood up, mumbling curses at Ace

“Ze hahahaha! I know, Ace! I know that you want to kill me!” Ace frowned sharply, not liking where Teach was probably going with this

“I know that patricide is a serious crime among gangs!” Teach then cackled “Yes! I killed Thatch! The number four division commander with my own hands! But Ace, listen! I didn’t have a choice!”

Ace clenched his fist tightly, trying to control himself from shaking in anger

_Of course you had a choice, you sack of shit!!_

“He got the Akunomi that I was searching for! According to our rules, the one who finds the Akumanomi has the right to ingest it! I memorized the look and smell of every single one so that one day, if I came across it, I could get it! And yet, there it was in Thatch’s hands! The Akumanomi I had searched my entire life for! I stayed on Whitebeard’s gang for decades because I know that was my best chance of finding that akumanomi! If my back luck had continued, I would have just given up someday but my friend got the vial before me-!”

_He was fucking furious_

_Years spent pretending to be loyal to Pops for a stupid vial!_

_Thatch might die because of a stupid fucking vial!_

_One that Thatch had said repeatedly that he wasn’t interesting in ingesting!_

“ _That was just bad luck!_ This power chose me, Ace!” yelled Teach as he rolled down his sleeves, showing disgusting black marks all over his arms and hands “ZE HAHAHAHA! With this, I am the strongest in the world! Behold!”

“ACE! Your body can handle heat like no other but I am _darkness_!”

It took everything Ace had not to roll his eyes at how corny that was

What kind of person actually called themselves ‘ _the darkness’_

_Okay there, Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way_

“ _Darkness?”_

“That’s right! You can’t kill me! This is said to be the most dangerous power in the history of the Akumanomi! I’ve become Patient 0! I’ll show you my power right here!”

“ _Fine by me_ ” replied Ace, smirking

“Did you wonder why there’s nobody in the streets?” asked Teach, grinning ear to ear

Ace had wondered, _but he wasn’t going to give Teach the satisfaction of answering_

Actually he also noticed that Teach’s men had left the scene as well

_What the hell? Did they abandon him?_

“I’ve been going from town to town, visiting every single sick person I could, I’ve collected tons and tons of diseases and this town has become my test project, you see” started Teach

Ace felt his stomach tighten as the colour fell from his face

_He had made everyone in town ill?!_

_Everyone was currently sick with god knows what?_

_And worst – with all these diseases mingling in Teach, where they also mutating?!_

“ZE HA HA HA! Well, Ace?! Do you understand?! This is my power!”

Ace shook his head slightly, grounding himself once more and pulled back, shooting more fire at Teach who instantly screamed and fell to the ground, rolling himself in the snow as he screeched and yelled loudly

Ace frowned a bit – he hadn’t sent that bad of a fireball Teach’s way, if anything, those were kinda soft

“Not going to lie, that is pretty amazing but it’s kinda odd how weak you’ve gotten” pointed out Ace

Teach kept screaming and rolling around as all the flames extinguished before he continued talking

“I told you!! I collect everything! I suck everything in! But unlike you, it didn’t make me physically more tolerant! My body absorbs it all and even though I won’t get sick from the illness, my body is constantly fighting it, so my body is always in pain! And all the pain is amplified as well! But in exchange for that, there’s another thing I can absorb!”yelled Teach as he ran forward suddenly and tightly grabbed Ace’s arm

Ace grunted, stiffening up as he tried to shake Teach’s hold off – but the other gripped so tightly that Ace could feel the bruise forming

“And as for my body-“

Ace felt every one of his nerves on fire _, as if something was being ripped from him_

_Suddenly his hands were in a lot of pain, his nerves going haywire with pain_

_What the fuck was this-_

“Well? You probably noticed it by now, Ace”

_No!_

_NO!_

“It can’t be-!!”

Suddenly Teach clotheslined Ace in the stomach, throwing him back into a pile of garbage

Ace instantly coughed up blood, trying to regain his bearings after being thrown on the ground

He felt dizzy and his head felt heavy

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck!_

“ZE HAHAHAHAHAHA!” laughed Teach “Been a while since you’ve taken a real punch hasn’t it?!” yelled Teach as he started to walk up to Ace “You must have felt it in the moment I grabbed you! The other thing my darkness can absorb is the power of the Akumanomi! In other words, while I’m touching their bodies, a user like you loses their abilities!”

Ace shook slightly as his tolerance for the heat returned to him even though he could feel his hands got burned from his gloves in those moments where his abilities disappeared

He looked at his own hands, slightly terrified

_This was bad_

“You might think you’re invulnerable! But I have the power to make you an ordinary, weak human being again! And when you’re in that state- who knows what you’ll catch from me!” boasted Teach

“Then I just have to make sure you don’t touch me” muttered Ace, wiping the blood from his mouth

_This was bad;_ he could feel his body slowing down, his head feeling cottony

_Shit shit shit, was he getting sick?! Did Teach give him something?!_

“Don’t you realize it?! Nobody can escape me!” yelled Teach as Ace ran up to the opposite building and ran up the side, giving himself the lift he needed to jump up and go in for a kick

If he touched Teach with parts of his body that where covered – _he should be okay, right?_

But Teach was able to swing his arm down faster, slamming his hand down on Ace’s neck as Ace was distracted with his thoughts

_Ace didn’t miss the loud crack he heard_

Thankfully he managed to throw another fireball Teach’s way, distracting the other as Ace hit the ground hard, his neck in horrible pain

“Fuck fuck urgh” muttered Ace as he coughed; more blood came out “The bones in my neck – _fuck!_ ”

Ace grabbed his neck, rubbing it slightly with his thumb, trying to massage the pain away, but he’s sure he had some real damage

_Was he going to lose?_

_Did he completely underestimate Teach?!_

 

Ace hit the ground again

Every bone in his body ached, every muscle was screaming

He was sure he was completely covered in bruises; something had to be ruptured inside of him as he kept coughing up blood

His head was a total mess, he was starting to have double vision, he already threw up twice and he felt like he was going to die

“ _Not even a man like you stands a chance!”_ boasted Teach proudly as he cackled once more “But it’d be a great loss if you died! Come on, Ace! Join me!”

Ace on his hands and knees coughed again, spitting out a large amount of blood out of his throat

“If I bowed down to power, what’s the point of living?” asked Ace, lifting his head and smirking at Teach “ _I’ll never live my life with regrets!_ Do you understand that, moron?”

Ace flicked a switch on his glove, getting rid of the gasoline limiters

He probably had in him one last major attack before his body gave out

_If he had to go out – he’s going to take Teach with him_

“ONCE YOU’RE DEAD, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!” yelled Teach “I’m sorry you’re such a fool, Ace! Die in the darkness!”

Ace brought all the fuel forward and ignited it – making a massive fireball

He barely had the strength to stand up, but he needed to

_One last time_

“ZE HAHAHAHA! The sun?! Or the darkness?! Only one of us will win!”

“I will make Whitebeard the king of gangs” stated Ace right before he launched his final fireball, knowing that his gloves where now depleted of fuel

Suddenly he was super dizzy and he felt his body falling back into the snow

And then Ace saw nothing but black

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And voila! We're going back to Law next week and I guess we'll eventually see what happens with Ace, won't we?


	90. -LAW- This Must Be How Pandora Felt (Thankfully I Captured Hope Too)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're onto Law! Things are really rolling! It's really fun to write such exciting chapters week after week - but now this is a - hmm, this is a turning point chapter!

 

 

_“We’re so going to get caught!“_

Law inhaled sharply, groaning as he rolled his eyes

“Don’t attract that kind of energy, Bepo!”

Okay, so maybe they had broken? – _Is it really broken into if it’s your house?_

_Anyways_

They went home while Cora was at work because Law feels like he’s missing something. So he wanted to go through Cora’s files to see if he can find that missing key information that he feels will put everything going on together

_The last puzzle piece_

Law had brought along Bepo to be a lookout while Law went through the files that Cora kept at the house

Things have been kinda… _weird_

For some reason, _they had missed Doflamingo’s arriva!l_ Even though they had watched the airport religiously for days! But last night, Kid had sent him a snap via snapchat with a photo that was clearly of Doflamingo with the message ‘ _your boyfriend’s here’_ on it

_Fucking asshole_

So when did Doflamingo arrive and when??

_Did he decide to drive in?_

Law frowned, Doflamingo hated driving into anywhere – _He loved to fly_

He also loved flying his own private planes and he-

Fuck! FUCK! _His helicopter_!

Law growled slightly, making Bepo eep

_How did he miss something so freaking obvious??_

Doflamingo hated being piloted anywhere and prefer to pilot himself! If he would need to come without being spotted – _he’d use his goddamn helicopter!_

“L-Law? You okay?”

Law rubbed the back of his neck groaning as he went back to sorting through the files – but apparently nothing particularly new was added

_Damnit Cora_

“Yeah, I just think I realized how I fucked up about Doflamingo”

“So you think Kid’s snap was legit?” asked Bepo nervously as he kept peeping out the window, making sure that nobody would see him

“He’s not exactly easy to imitate, Bepo” explained Law as he locked up the filing cabinet “I think the only person who could actually do it really well is Cora. And I don’t see Cora pretending to be Doffy either. That dumbass coat of his cost a few grands and it’s hard to replicate and Cora’s is black. He can’t exactly dye it or anything”

“So what now?” asked Bepo as he stood up and looked at Law who was looking around Cora’s office

“Well, now we’re going to have to break into something else” muttered Law as he looked around and he smiled victoriously as he spots what he was looking for

_Cora’s World Government laptop!_

Luckily for him; Cora didn’t bring it with him today!

Law went up to the laptop and booted it up and Bepo let out of a shrill shriek

“You’re breaking into Cora’s laptop?! Are you nuts?! What if Cora finds out?! He’s going to kill you! That stuff is super private!!”

“ _Shut up!”_ yelled Law, typing in Cora’s password; thankfully it was the same password as the filing cabinet “We have no leads so we have no choice!”

Soon enough, Law opened up all the recent files and quickly read through them

“Seems like they asked for more troops to come in than expected – all the Warlords have arrived minus three” muttered Law loudly for Bepo to hear too

“Who’s missing?”

“Uh….Hancock Boa and….whoah, Jinbei Kaikyo? Apparently he’s refusing to comply with the order and has been imprisoned and Crocodile Zero is imprisoned too but that’s due to something that happened apparently a while back and he’s been stripped of Warlord status until further notice” explained Law

Why did a Warlord refuse the order? _Which order?_

_And why didn’t Hancock freaking go?!_

“What are you looking for now?” asked Bepo nervously as he crouched to the ground, still looking outside _“Law, what are you looking for?”_

Law paused, surprised by the tone of Bepo’s voice but his message was clear

_What are you actually trying to accomplish here?_

Honestly, Bepo looked kinda stressed out and sorta wrecked too. Living in the van hadn’t been easy for neither of them, nobody really

Even though Law was on this mission and they all happily went along; Law must have forgotten to consider the stress of it all on his friends

They were just a bunch of kids; they hadn’t lived like Law had

_Well, minus Jean Bart_

“I’m looking for answers” admitted Law honestly “Listen, I need you guys to do something super important for me, okay?”

Bepo paused, turning to look right at Law, his expression worried

“ _What are you planning, Law?”_

“If I see Doflamingo” started Law “If I find him, I’m going after him _alone_ ”

_Law won’t have it to see his friends bloody their hands with his revenge plot_

“But Law-!”

“No buts, Bepo!” ordered Law, his tone serious “This is for me and me alone, understood! If something happens to me, _I can’t have Cora lose us both, okay?!”_

Bepo opened his mouth to say something but then lowered his head, keeping quiet as he slowly nodded

“ _For Cora_ ” whispered Bepo, wringing his hands “But please…do your best to come back. I don’t need to lose another brother”

Law felt slightly guilty at the last words _– he forgot about Zepo_

“Thank you”

 

Law kept looking around the computer, hoping to find something, anything short of a location of something of Doflamingo – but Law suspected that if Cora knew that information, he would have gone after him himself

_Fuck_

But then he spotted an unfinished report on Cora’s desktop called ‘ _To Discuss with Sengoku’_

Law frowned, double clicking on the file

Once it loaded he carefully read through it and saw red

“Bepo! _The fucking bastard tried to kill Cora last night!”_ screamed Law, furious

“What!?” yelled Bepo, getting up from his spot by the window and ran up to Law to look at the file, quickly reading it “Whoah, that’s ballsy to attack a police station like that”

“It seems like he just waltzed in and went to bargain with Cora about something. Cora didn’t write down what it was, seems that he probably doesn’t want it to be traced. But Cora refused and Doflamingo pulled out a gun but the entire police station pulled out their own guns. 134 shots were fired apparently in a span of a few minutes but Doflamingo seemed to have escaped uninjured because they found no trace of blood. But Cora points out that his coat is very good at hiding if Doflamingo got injured or not, but he definitely escaped though. Cora’s sure that while Doflamingo’s in Goa, he’s going to try again” explained Law, shaking with anger

_He doesn’t know if he could have read worst news_

_He purposely stayed behind from the trip to make sure that nothing happened to Cora, but instead Cora almost got killed_

_He failed him_

_Law had failed Cora_

“Law…there’s nothing you could have done” whispered Bepo calmly, knowing that Law was quickly spiralling down

Law was about to let Bepo have it, his nerves at wit’s end, when the laptop loudly beeped, getting Law’s attention

Apparently an urgent message had arrived and _needed to be opened right away_

Law blinked, clicking on the message

“Wait wait! Law! No! Cora will know someone was on his computer if you do that!” warned Bepo, panicking

“I’ll just mark it as ‘unread’ after, Bepo” replied Law as he started to read the memo

_It was from the top brass of the World Government_

_Holy shit_

This was the worst thing he could have read

“Fuck fuck fuck, apparently the World Government is offering Teach D. Marshall a position of Warlord, _probably to replace Crocodile_ , if he delivers Ace D. Portgas at the meeting point on the 31rst at 2200 hours” read Law, shocked

_Ace had gotten captured?!_

_Or did Teach say that he would capture Ace?!_

_Shit, this was so fucking bad!_

“With the capture of Ace D. Portgas, it’s expected that Newgate ‘Whitebeard’ Edwards with the ‘Whitebeard Gang’ will attempt a rescue of Portgas. This will be used as a lure for Edwards with the intention to eliminate both issues at once. _Success is mandatory_ ” finished Bepo, reading over Law’s shoulder

“Holy shit, it’s a fucking blitz” stated Law “This is exactly what we feared would happen”

“It would explain why they brought out so many extra troops – _this is a big trap_. And isn’t there like, thousands of Whitebeards in total?” asked Bepo

“Yeah, about 1600 if I remember right” replied Law as he re-read the notice, trying to see if he missed anything crucial

“But did Ace get captured or is this a threat?” pointed out Bepo as Law started to look through the other messages

“I don’t know, it doesn’t fucking say! Fuck, _this is really bad_ ”

Bepo sighed loudly and sat down on the ground besides the chair that Law was sitting in, crossing his arms

“ _Law, I think it’s time you told Luffy about all of this_ ”

Law groaned, he was hoping that Bepo wouldn’t think that

“Yeah, I think you’re right, shit”

Law took out his cellphone and quickly selected Luffy’s name in the text chat and Bepo shoved the chair slightly, causing Law to suddenly start rolling away from him

“No! _Call him!_ Don’t text!”

Law mumbled, hitting Luffy’s name to call him on his phone and held it up to his ear, hissing at Bepo “ _You know I hate talking with people on the phone_ ”

“ _This is important!”_ pointed out Bepo, appalled “What if only half the message sends?! Or not at all?!”

Law was not going to admit that Bepo had a point there

_No fucking way_

The second ring was cut off with a happy cry making the anxiety in Law’s stomach jump

“ _Torao!! Why are you calling? What’s up?”_

“Are you busy?” asked Law, running his hand through his hair

“ _No, no! We just finished breakfast! The food here is so good, Torao! I wish I could share it with you! And Hancock is here too! Her grandma is super funny!”_

Law instantly frowned at Hancock’s name

_No! This wasn’t the point of this phone call!_

“Luffy, listen! This is important! Can you go somewhere alone?”

“ _Somewhere alone? Okay, I’ll go back to my room!”_

“Okay, good” replied Law

But then he heard whistling and cat-calls being thrown Luffy’s way and a loud warning not to keep the volume down to a considerate level if he was going to get explicit with his boyfriend from-

_Isn’t that Robin Nico?!_

Law blinked, surprised

_He had no idea she was over there_

“ _Okay, Torao! What’s up?”_ asked Luffy, his tone serious as Law heard a door closing

“Okay, so, I think Ace is in a lot of danger” warned Law “The World Government all gathered up and a report just came in saying that if Teach hands over Ace to the World Government, he was going to get Warlord”

There was a pause, clearly of Luffy listening and trying to make sense of what he just heard

“ _But there’s still a chance that Ace didn’t get caught then! He’s off to try to kill Teach! Ace is gonna get really mad at me if I try to help him!”_ pointed out Luffy

“Luffy, I, I think there’s a really good chance that Teach got Ace” admitted Law “This…This looks like it’s being taken super seriously by the World Government and I…I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you. I’ve known that Ace was in danger for a while, but I didn’t want to…you know…”

Law suddenly felt like the biggest asshole in the world to keep this from Luffy

_How could he have kept the fact that Ace was in danger from Luffy?_

“ _Naw naw, don’t feel like that!”_ started Luffy “ _I know you did it because you didn’t want me to worry me and stuff! Thanks for telling me all this, Torao_ ”

“Luffy, listen, I’m really sorry-“

“ _Torao! Stop apologizing!”_ yelled Luffy, shocking Law

Luffy had never raised his voice at him like this

“ _If you think that Ace is in real danger, I believe you! I’m coming back to Goa as fast as I can! Do you know anything that I can use?”_ asked Luffy

Law could hear Luffy rustling around the room, probably packing up some stuff

“Luffy! I don’t have the location for the trade-off yet, but I do know it’s on the 31rst at 2200! But I’ll try to find the location” explained Law, looking through the message again, looking for any clues

_Anything, please anything!_

_“Okay! I’ll be back before that for sure!”_ stated Luffy _“And then I’ll find Ace and save him!”_

“Luffy, _this is in less than two days_! How the hell are you going to get off your isolated resort, to an airport, book tickets and get back in time?!” asked Law as he stood up from the chair, pacing around the room

 _“I’ll make it back_ ”

Law sighed, slightly defeated

“I’ll be waiting”

“ _If you get any extra information-?”_

“I’ll let you know right away. Look, Luffy, Doflamingo is in town and-“

_He needed to let Luffy know that there’s a possibility that he won’t be able to meet up with him_

_That he might not see him again_

“ _You punch ‘mingo in the face, you hear me?_ ”

Law couldn’t help but smile

“Yeah, I’ll do that”

“ _I’ll see you soon! Thanks for telling, Torao! I love you!”_

“I…I love you too” replied Law

He heard Luffy chuckle and then the line cut out

“Is he actually coming?” asked Bepo, shocked

“Yeah, he’s going to do what he can, I guess” admitted Law, shrugging

But then they both heard the telltale sound of the front door unlocking

Law and Bepo both looked at each other horrified

_Shit! Shit! Cora was coming home!_

“You were supposed to be the lookout!” hissed Law, grabbing his bag from the floor as both he and Bepo scrambled to their room and started to climb out the window

“I’m sorry!”

As the front door closed, both Bepo and Law had scrambled out of the house and climbed down to the backyard. They both took off running across the yard, climbing over the fence as fast as they could and quickly made their way down the street

 

“Where are going?!” yelled Bepo as they kept taking back roads as they ran “ _The van isn’t this way!”_

“ _The Whitebeard Estate!”_ admitted Law “We have to warn the Whitebeards!”

The idea suddenly occurred to him as they were climbing down the window – if they can’t warn Ace, he can at least warn the Whitebeards

Bepo looked at him surprised as they kept running and honestly Law couldn’t blame him

_Why did he even care?_

_Why was this such a big deal to him right now?_

_Urgh, it was because of Luffy and he knew it_

_He cared because Luffy cared_

_And Luffy cared about Ace, and Ace cared about the Whitebeards_

_And frankly, the Whitebeards had been nothing but good to him so he could at least do this much_

Once they got to the gate, Law quickly buzzed and waited for someone to answer

But he heard nothing

Frowning, Law buzzed again and once again, nobody answered

“Nobody’s home?” asked Bepo, surprised

“How the fuck is nobody home?? There’s so many of them” stated Law, confused

Law started to climb up the stone wall, shocking Bepo

“ _They’re going to be so pissed if we do that, Law!”_

“Well, they should answer the fucking door” snapped back Law, jumping off the gate and landing on the other side

“I have a bad feeling about this” muttered Bepo as he also climbed over as well

 

“You’re going to ring the bell?!” asked Bepo, shocked

They were now right up to the house and there wasn’t even a hint of someone coming to yell at them

_Or worst_

Law rung the bell and waited – again, _no answer_

“Fucking hell, this is a pain in the ass” Law took out his picklocks and started to work the lock

_He didn’t have time for this!!_

“ _You’re breaking into their house?!”_ yelled Bepo, horrified

“I think you can now get over it, Bepo”

The door gave way and Law opened it, looking around

_The place looked completely abandoned_

“What the…”

“Where did everyone go?” asked Bepo as he walked in, looking around “HELLO?”

Bepo’s hello only bounced off the walls

“They’re all gone” replied Law, in awe “All the Whitebeards have gone into hiding probably”

Bepo took out his phone and quickly dialed a number and walked off into another room, clearly looking for better reception

 

Law started to walk around

It was an odd, haunting sight – it looked like everyone had just picked up their things and left

There was food in the fridge but a slight layer of dust on everything, telling Law that nobody has been around for a couple of days at least

“The hospital said that Teach was still there! But that nobody was present anymore, they only called-in regularly for updates” announced Bepo as he ran into the kitchen to meet up with Law

“So, the Whitebeards officially went into hiding – so they probably know that this is a trap”

“They wouldn’t let Ace get killed…would they?” asked Bepo, worryingly

Law frowned, _he didn’t even think about that_

_But  would Newgate Edwards really sacrifice his entire life’s work, his legacy, his own life for one kid?_

_For his biggest rival’s son?_

Law wish he had the answer

“We should totally squat here!!” declared Bepo, clearly over the fact that they broke into Whitebeard’s mansion “Instead of staying in the van!”

_Now, that wasn’t a bad idea_

“Yeah sure, I’m sick of sleeping in a van” replied Bepo as the other ran off to give the guys a call, telling them to come over to the estate

Law frowned, his mind whirling at this giant mess he was somehow getting involved in

_What the hell was he doing? He had nothing to do with this! Why did he care so much if Ace got executed? If the Whitebeards got killed?_

_He had to concentrate on Doflamingo – this war that’s brewing isn’t his business_

_He’s done all that he can for Ace and the Whitebeards_

_It was out of his hands now_

Law sighed deeply

_He only hoped that Luffy somehow managed to find his way over on time_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Back to Cora next week! Updates should be on time as usual, if not, please go check https://twitter.com/joseethefirst ! I will post if there's a delay or something with the fic!


	91. -CORAZON- We’ve Reached the Point of No Return (Now or Never!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Busy chapter ahead! Get ready for a real ride!

 

 

 

 

Law’s steps were always rather nimble

_After being a fugitive, it makes sense_

The less noise you made and the greatest distance you could cover without being seen the better

Bepo had heavy steps but still rather light on his feet

Maybe heavy wasn’t the word – _it was stable steps_

Cora could always tell when they were walking around the top floor and _right now was no exception_

He heard Law and Bepo scramble and run towards their room

He heard the window open and something rush out of it

The bang bang bang of them climbing down the side of the house and then nothing

Cora looked out the window of Bepo’s room, staring at the foot steps in the snow leading out of the yard

Bepo and Law had clearly escaped when Cora walked in – _but why did they come home in the first place?_

Cora frowned, looking around Bepo’s room

Nothing looked particularly touched, so it wasn’t a supply run

Honestly, _he hoped they would come for a supply run_ – he had fully stocked the fridge and cupboards for that exact reason                                                                                                                                            

Cora frowned even more as his eyes widen with realization

_It was probably an information run!_

 

“Wow, could they have been more obvious?“ mumbled Cora to himself as he looked at the state of his office

_Honestly Cora was a little disappointed_

His laptop was completely open and it was obvious that someone had looked through it!

Messages after messages and reports were completely open with notes scrawled on the notepad besides his desk in Law’s messy handwriting

_No wonder the other was going to be a doctor_

Cora figures that Law didn’t even notice that he had scribbled and doodled all over the pad, a habit he always had _but it left clues of him being present_

_Law and Bepo were not good spies, yeesh_

Cora started to look through every message and report that was open, trying to see what Law had figured out

_Shit_

Law knew now that Doflamingo had attacked him – _that was bad_ , he couldn’t afford to worry more about Law, but knowing him, this was a declaration of war from Doflamingo and Law had too much pride to stand back

Except the idiot didn’t seem to understand that it was _him_ that Doffy wanted!! _He needed to stay away!! Not go to him!!_

Cora needed to figure out a way to keep Law out of the obvious trap that was being set for him – but how?

_He’ll deal with it later,_ he needed to finish going through everything so he can figure out Law’s next move

Overall, nothing really caught his eye in all the messages that were open until he got to the very last one that was open

_Was this recent?_ Cora was sure he hadn’t read this one

_What was this?_

Cora clicked on it, reading through it quickly

All the blood rushed away from his face as his stomach dropped

_Ace had been captured?!_

_Teach as Warlord?!_

_Elimination of the Whitebeards and Ace?!_

_Holy shit_

Cora sat back in the chair in shock

Sat back in the clearly still warm chair – _god you suck, Law_

He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and quickly lit one up, yelping when he burned himself with the lighter

Everything they had done in the past few months was to avoid this mess

_And yet it all somehow still went to hell_

Cora wasn’t a religious man, but holy shit, it was almost like this was fated to happen no matter what

As if they were just characters in a story, playing the roles and saying the lines

“Drosselmeyer, please have sympathy for us” mumbled Cora as he sighed heavily, taking a drag of his cigarette

He was going to be up all night trying to figure out how they’re going to get out of this mess

_He needed to get some coffee_

 

“ _Whoah, Rosisi, why are you dressed like that?”_

Cora coughed, clearing his throat, embarrassed by Bellemere’s shocked question

On the other hand, it wasn’t always every day that he showed up in a white three piece suit, a blue dress shirt and a matching white tie with a massive coat draped on his shoulders, but he didn’t have time to mess around

“I’ll explain later _, I promise_ , but right now, I need to talk to the Captain _urgently_ ”             

“He’s not here” started Bellemere, her jaw still dropped “He left early tonight”

“Fuck” snarled Cora, pulling out his phone and quickly dialing a number “He should be home right?”

“Uh yeah? Rosisi, what’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself” asked Bellemere worryingly as she stood up from her desk and walked towards Cora

But before Cora could answer, the line picked up and Cora dashed towards the door

Running right into the damn counter

_W H Y_

 

“ _State your business quickly_ ” said the voice through the phone, tense

“Marco! It’s me, Rosinante!”

“I _know it’s you, look, you can’t trace this phone, so I don’t even know why you bothered to c-“_

“Teach has Ace and he’d handing him over to the World Government in exchange to be put in the Warlord program!” blurted out Cora quickly as he ran up to his car, quickly unlocking the door and getting in

There was dead silence on the line for a few moments before Marco finally spoke up

“ _Shit, I thought so. He didn’t check in yesterday_ ” admitted Marco

“You’re fucking idiots for letting him go!” yelled Cora, quickly reaching his limit- or maybe it was the three cups of coffee making him go nuts right now “For fuck’s sake, goddamn Shanks couldn’t fucking take that bastard down and you let a goddamn child go after him?! _What the hell is wrong with all of you_?!”

_Okay, maybe blowing up on Marco wasn’t the best idea right now_

But it was fucking 3am, _and he’s had it_

“ _Hey! You shut the fuck up! Ace was going and there was no stopping him! He’s like a fucking enraged bull when he’s pissed, you can’t stop him_ ”

“The trade-off is on the 31rst, at 10pm” informed Cora, now calming down “I don’t have a location yet because I have to check-in first, but it’s obviously a fucking trap so stay the fuck away! It says in the report that they’re awaiting the Whitebeards and their intentions is to eliminate you all”

“ _We know. Pop is well aware that it’s what they’re going to do – but we take care of our own and we won’t let the Government kill Ace_ ”

Cora groaned internally, _he was afraid of this_

“You’re going to lose a lot of your men” warned Cora “This is dangerous, they’re not messing around, they have every intention to follow through”

“ _So do we_ ” replied Marco

_He sounded so tired_

_He sounded so scared_

_So stressed_

Cora chuckled softly, _he probably sounded the same to Marco_

“ _So, who’s side are you on_?” asked Marco suddenly

Cora snorted, turning on his car

“The side I’m always on, Marco, _the side of justice_ ”

There was a small pause and then Marco snorted

“ _Thanks for the heads up about Ace_ , _go fuck up some windmills, Rosinante_ ”

“ _Fuck off,_ you burnt chicken!” hissed Cora, hanging up as he heard Marco laughing

_Oh well, at least the kid got to laugh_

 

“ _Someone better be fucking dead!”_

Cora tried to stay composed as the front door slammed open, revealing a really pissed off Smoker

His face was a deep scarlet, his veins protruding in his neck and forehead, baring his teeth like an angry dog

_It didn’t help that Justice was imitating her master by his side_

Even in nothing but stripped boxers and a tank top, _he still looked incredibly intimidating_

_It was probably the muscles and stuff_

_And you know, the veins popping out everywhere_

“I needed to talk to you” said Cora, trying to stay calm

“And why couldn’t this fucking wait until the goddamn sun was up?! Why did you feel the fucking need to come to my goddamn door at three fucking am?!”

_Honestly right now Smoker was just reminding him of the Beast when he was yelling at Belle_

“Ace has been captured by Teach and is being used as a bargaining chip with the World Goverment” stated Cora calmly and firmly – he needed Smoker to understand

Smoker’s demeanor instantly changed, _he looked almost hurt_

_As if he hadn’t been expecting this_

_Or as if he wished really hard that it wouldn’t happen_

“Come in” grumbled Smoker, going inside his house as Cora followed, Justice was keeping a close eye on him as she trotted back inside as well

“Thanks” replied Cora, making sure to tap the snow off his shoes before he walked in

 

“So, what the hell do you know?” asked Smoker as he sat down on the couch, pouring himself a glass of whiskey, Justice jumping on the couch besides Smoker, resting her head on his lap

Cora wasn’t going to comment on how the bottle and the glass were already on the table. He didn’t need to pry right now into his Captain’s mental state

_Right now anyways_

Cora went to the Captain’s phone line and quickly unplugged it and installed a device into the line and waited for a moment and sighed in relief

_Good, the Captain wasn’t being tapped_

“Got a message today” started Cora as he stood back up “I’m going to paraphrase because I legally can’t show you the message but it basically says that Teach is offering Ace in exchange for being added to the Warlord program. The trade-over is going to take place on the 31rst at 2200 hours. No intel on the location yet. The message said that it’s expected that Newgate Edwards with the Whitebeards will attempt to rescue Ace. They intend to use this as a lure with the intention to eliminate both issues at once. It’s noted that success is mandatory”

Smoker frowned, taking a sip of his drink

“They wouldn’t set up an exchange if they didn’t have proof that Teach had Ace” explained Smoker, downing a shot of the whiskey and putting the glass back on the table, pouring himself another “ _The bastard got himself fucking caught_ ”

“I don’t know the details for now” admitted Cora “So, what now?”

“What can we do?” admitted Smoker “We legally can’t interfere. This is a World Government matter – and I’ve been trying to take down the Whitebeards for years. If they want to have a go at it, let them. The old man’s had it coming and the brat made shitty life choices, not my place to interfere”

Cora looked at the Captain horrified – not sure how to take what the other was saying

“ _Are you fucking kidding me?!_ I thought you were all in to stop this?! And now that it’s time, you’re tucking your tail between your legs and running?” snapped Cora, in disbelief

“So what of it? _Maybe I learned my place_ ” replied Smoker, lighting up a cigar “You know the amount of shit I got for shooting at your fucking brother? I had the fucking CIA and goddamn Sengoku rimming me out for days! You know what the price for going after a Warlord is? _Life in prison_! I got a warning and I was told clearly that if I did it again – _it was the end for me_! If I go to jail – who the hell is going to be the Chief of Police here?! We have a shitload of new officers coming in soon and there’s going to be nobody around to set them straight if I’m gone! Tashigi needs me! This town needs needs me! _People need me!_ I ain’t going to jail for a bunch of fucking crooks! _”_

“Coward! _You fucking coward!_ You got disciplined and now you’re backing down?! This is wrong and you know it! _Ace doesn’t deserve this!_ He doesn’t deserve to be fucking executed because of who’s blood he has! The Whitebeards don’t deserve going out like this! Do you not care?! They’re going to try to kill Newgate! _He’s your father_!”

“ _You aimed a gun at your own brother_! Spied on him and sabotaged him for four fucking years, _don’t play the fucking family card on me!”_ snarled Smoker, slamming the glass down on the table so hard that it cracked

“ _Doflamingo killed our father and cut off his head!!”_ screamed Cora, hitting his limit “ _He killed him! Shot him and cut off his head and presented the fucking thing the Celestial Dragons! To fucking take him back! To take us back!_   He killed Papa!! I hate him! He’s a demon! He’s a monster! He needs to be taken down! But Ace doesn’t deserve this! The Whitebeards are good people! They don’t deserve this! And if you’re not going to try anything, I’ll do it alone! I don’t care! I’ll go to jail! I’ll get killed _! I don’t care, but at least I can live with myself knowing I fucking tried!_ ”

Cora was shaking he was so angry

He never meant to blurt this all out to the Captain

_But he was so fucking mad right now_

They came all this way and now the Captain was backing down

For what?!

_Because his dream of taking down the Whitebeards was being taken from him?!_

_Because he could get revenge on some petty shit that happened years ago?!_

_Because he was angry at Ace?!_

“You and Doflamingo are Celestial Dragons?!” asked Smoker, completely shocked

“ _What?!_ That’s what you fucking take away from this?! Yes! I was born one but I’m not one anymore! We renounced our status when I was a kid!” yelled Cora, in total disbelief

“Good to know that you’re still 100% in this, Trafalgar” said Smoker, taking the cigar out of his mouth and exhaling

_There was no missing the smirk on Smoker’s face_

Cora froze, not sure what just happened                     

_OH THAT SON OF A BITCH!_

“Were you just…messing with me?! Because I’m going to beat your ass!” threatened Cora, hissing as Smoker barked a laugh

“Relax, what the hell else was I supposed to do when you come into my house dressed like _that_ ” pointed out Smoker “I was afraid that you had turned your back on Ace and the cause. I figured they had offered a deal to protect Law or something _, I know how you get about him_ ”

Cora blinked and then laughed sheepishly

_Okay,_ had they offered to completely protect Law from Doflamingo, _he’s not sure what he’d do honestly_

“No, no, it’s just, after I got the message I had to figure out some sort of plan you know, and I finally came up with something!” explained Cora “But I need you on it for it to work”

“You’re going to be the man on the inside, aren’t you?” asked Smoker, taking a puff of his cigar

_Wait – how did he-?!_

“Hey fuck you! _You know how long it took me to come up with that plan!”_ yelled Cora, frustrated

_He wanted to impress the Captain, damn it!_

“Strategy isn’t your strong suit, is it?” asked Smoker, snorting “Alright, Hercules Mulligan, how are you going to pull this off?”

“Easy” started Cora “Technically with my current rank, I need to answer to the summons. Now, I know that Sengoku is going to expect me to do a hard pass and he’ll let it slide, but I won’t. I’ll answer it and be present at the exchange, so that way, I’ll know all the details!”

“You know that means that you’re expected to fight the Whitebeards and make sure the execution goes as planned, right?” pointed out Smoker

“Yeah, but I’m going to go do my own thing. I’m not that great at direct confrontation anyways, I’m a secret agent for a reason” admitted Cora “Also, I can get the location information to you and this way I can personally keep an eye on Doflamingo, so it’s a win-win for me honestly”

“You really thought this through, didn’t ya?”

Cora sighed, slumping down and sitting on the couch besides Smoker, resisting the urge to reach over Smoker’s lap to pet Justice

“I had no choice. I still don’t know where Law is, but I know he knows that Doflamingo tried to attack me, so he’s going to go after him. So two birds, one stone”

Smoker paused for a moment and then stood up

“Rosinante Trafalgar, you’re officially suspended from the Goa Police Force until January 1rst at 00 hours” stated Smoker “I better not see your goddamn hide at the police station, you understand me. As of right now, _you are not one of our own_ ”

Cora nodded his head, standing up

“Understood, Captain”

“Also, Rear Admiral Trafalgar, I expect you to do your duty and _do what is right_ ”

“Understood, Captain”

“Also, Rosinante, you’re going to have to decide what comes first; your family or your duty”

Cora blinked, taken aback by the comment

“By the sounds of it, that _wayward child of yours_ is probably going to show himself at the altercation” explained Smoker “And you’re going to have to decide between duty and between being a father”

Cora snorted, _he wasn’t worried_

_He already knew the answer to that_

“Same goes to you – what are you going to do?”

“ _What’s right_ , Rosinante, which is what I’ve always done” admitted Smoker “Now get the fuck out of my house, I want to sleep”

Cora laughed, getting up and making his way towards the door

“We’ll be in touch?”

“ _You better fucking be, or I’ll string you alive_ ”

 

_“Rosinante?! What are you doing here?!”_

Cora sighed, after the long night he’s had and the flight; he wasn’t in the mood for this from Sengoku

“There was a summon, so I came” admitted Cora, rubbing the back of his neck

_He just wanted to go to his room and get some sleep_

“B-But-!” sputtered Sengoku, shocked

“ _It’s my duty_ ” answered Cora, his voice stern and unwavering

Sengoku nodded, his expression growing serious

“It’s about time you understood, Rear Admiral Donquixote”

“I know what I must do” replied Cora

_He only hoped that everything would go the way that he needed things to go_

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My god, what would they do if they didn't have Cora there to fix everything?? 
> 
> Alright, so next week, we're going to find out what happened to Ace!


	92. -ACE- This Would Be a Great Time for a Deus Ex Machina (Or a Goddamn WABAC Machine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're finally back to Ace!
> 
> Just to note - the details of Ace's abuse has been left vague on purpose, so fill in the blanks! But I will not deny or confirm anything about it!

 

 

 

_“- It has been brought to our attention, that the Gray Terminal district must be completely evacuated by orders of the World Government starting immediately until January 1rst at the latest. As it stands, nobody knows why this is the case but it has been warned that any and all attempts to breach the evacuation notice will be met will the full extent of the l- “_

Ace groaned slightly as he cracked his eyes open

The shrill voice of the reporter was giving him an even bigger headache that he had now

His head was pounding and it felt like he was underwater

He had trouble breathing, but Ace figured it had something to do with this sack on his head

Ace’s entire body felt like this giant ache

He doesn’t quite know what’s going on either

He keeps waking up, moving and then people would beat the shit out of him once more until he passed out again

Ace could tell that his wrists and ankles were bound by zip ties and it has to have already been a some time by now due to the irritation he felt at the contact point – the ties had dug rather deep into his skin at this point so there was no way that they were newly put on

Especially not considering the scabbing that had already started

His body felt like hell – Ace was covered in bruises; pretty sure he had a few broken ribs and maybe some slight internal bleeding

Or maybe that had to do with this gross wet cough he had

Ace wasn’t sure if it was mucous or blood he was coughing out

His stomach hurt really bad and so did other parts of his body

But Ace didn’t want to think too much about it

He didn’t want to try to figure out what was done with him while he was unconscious

If he went down that road, Ace isn’t sure he would recover

_“- Haha, I can’t believe the boss got such a sweet deal!”_

  _Deal? What deal?_

“Warlord to hand over Ace! It’s actually kinda of a shock! Who would of thought that Ace would be worth so much to the World Government to be given such a prestigious place in such a program!”

Ace’s entire body froze up at the news

He was going to be directly handed over to the World Government?!

_Fuck! Shit! FUCK!_

_Nearly 18 years of running away and now he’s tripping at the fucking finish line?!_

 

“ _There he is_! Ace D. Portgas! As promised! I swear to you that it’s him under the sack! Look at his arm tattoo!”

Ace had felt someone grab his arm, pulling him forward – well, as much as they could with his wrists tied together

_Fucking Teach_

“ _You could have tattooed this man as a ruse_ ”

Ace frowned at the new voice

It was familiar but… _not_

As if the serious tone of the voice didn’t match the owner

“Aww, I guess you’re right about that – so we’ll just show ya! I told my men to leave his pretty little face alone so that you’d be able to identify him”

_Please don’t make me throw up, Teach_

_I’m wearing a bag_

The bag was suddenly removed, causing Ace to wince in the bright light

Ace blinked a couple of times as his vision quickly came back to him

Well, he was kinda seeing double, seeing how dizzy he was, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was staring at an ipad or something about a foot away from him, being held by Lafitte

Which would explain why the voice sounded weird – _it was coming out of a tablet_

But there in front of him, on the screen was Garp

“SEE! What did I tell ya? Ace D. Portgas in the flesh!” restated Teach, cackling away as he licked his lips, tugging again on Ace’s shoulder to hold him up

Ace shuddered slightly for a moment before taking the opportunity of not having a mask on to throw up on the floor in front of him

Okay, _now he felt slightly better_

Yep, there was some blood in that vomit

_Shit_

“Hey!  Nobody told you to dirty the floor!” yelled Teach, letting go of Ace’s shoulder and tugged on Ace’s hair instead

Ace tried to roll his eyes at the statement, considering they were in a dirty abandoned shed thing, he didn’t see how it really fucking mattered

“ _I want to speak to the boy alone_ ” stated Garp, a serious expression on his face

“What? Why?” asked Teach, shocked at the request as he let go of Ace’s hair

“ _Humour me, will you?”_ replied Garp “ _I need to fully confirm it’s the target_ ”

Teach merely laughed, setting the tablet on the small table nearby to stand on its own – then the table was moved to be right in front of Ace

“Whatever you want, we’ll be in the other room”

Ace watched as they quietly all exited the room, closing the door behind them

 

“ _Are they gone?”_ asked Garp, keeping his serious expression

“Yeah” blurted out Ace, breathing heavily, as he tried to get as much clean-ish air into his lungs as he could before they put the damn sack back on his head

“Well, well, well, look at you. Ace you still alive, Ace?”

“ _Barely_. Old man…couldn’t you be here in person? Kill me, snap my neck, poison me, do anything?”

“Kill you? Why?”

“Because – this is a trap, isn’t it? This handover crap? It’s going to make a big show out of offing me and the Whitebeards might come and I don’t want that, so just, _please_ , find a way to come here and end me first”

 “Don’t be rash, you fool. There’s nothing you can do now. Whitebeard won’t stop if you die. Nothing can prevent this war now! We’ve angered him, he’s coming no matter what” explained Garp

Garp then sighed heavily – as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders

“I wanted you and Luffy to become great Navy men but instead you became _thugs_!”

Ace huffed, groaning slightly

_He’s heard this damn line a million times_

“Oh, yes! I spoke to Luffy about his father! A-“

“Neither Luffy or me care about that. In fact, we’d rather not talk about it. The fact that we both have world-class criminal blood flowing through our veins…there’s no way the World Government would have accepted us into their ranks anyways but…”

Ace took a second to inhale more air; it was getting so hard to breathe

“…I own the name Portgas a great debt. For mom who gave up her life for me. I’d rather forget my good-for-nothing father! I don’t owe him anything. _I never even met him!_ ”

“That may be, but he has his own reasons for-“ started Garp, seeming slightly distraught by what Ace was saying

“Give it up, Gramps!” yelled Ace, cutting off Garp “ _Whitebeard is my only father!”_

Garp seemed stunned by the information – but before he could say another word, the door slammed open and the Blackbeards walked in

Apparently that’s what they were being called now by what Ace picked up from the times he was conscious

“Alright, enough talky – did you confirm it’s him?” asked Teach, picking up the tablet and looked right at it – stopping Ace from being able to look at Garp any longer

_Honestly – he’s not even sure if Teach knows it’s his gramps_

“Yes” responded Garp, putting back on his serious façade

“Good. See you at the meeting time, bye bye” replied Teach as he turned off the tablet and threw it on the ground, stomping his foot on it multiple times to break it

Ace figured that he didn’t want to be traced

“Well, well, well, look at that, Ace, you’ll be handed over to the World Government tonight and by what I heard – they plan on executing you! What a great way for you to bring in the new years, isn’t it? Well, I guess you won’t be bringing in the New Year – ZEHAHAHAHAHHA!!”

Ace frowned and started to look around the room and grinned when he spotted what he needed

_Idiots_

_Now they just needed to leave the fucking room_

 

_Or you know, his guard could fall asleep_

Who was this old man anyways?

Ace was thankful that they had not put the mask back on him – _saying some shit like they wanted to see the despair in his eyes or something_

_Okay Junko_

Ace managed to snag a piece of the broken tablet, cutting up his own hand in the process but who gives a shit right now?!

Using it slowly and surely, rubbing it against the zip tie around his ankles, he was almost able to cut through it

Every time the guy let out a broken snore, Ace would freeze

But he always went back to sleep

_Just a little more_

_A little more_

_How did he fuck up this badly?! How was he only a few weeks earlier sleeping in a warm bed, getting breakfast brought to him, a warm dog sleeping besides him?!_

_How did he go from hanging out with his friends after school, working random part time jobs, hanging out with his brothers to being a fucking hostage?!_

He had messed up; _he had messed up so badly_

Now he probably put his entire crew into serious danger!

Pops shouldn’t come for him, they should all run

_Please let them have run away!_

Finally the zip tie broke off and Ace let out a loud sound of relief as his ankles were freed

_Holy shit that had dug deep!_

Ace winced slightly, with the dirt and stuff; the wound looked rather infected too

He then frowned, looking at himself – _he had this weird rash too_

That was weird? Since when did he have this? It might explain his fever – and how shitty in general he felt?

And now that he noticed it – _everyone but Teach had been wearing masks!_

_Did Teach give him something?!_

_That fucking asshole!_

Ace promptly stood up, shaking slightly as he did so

He needed to get out of here!

Maybe find some help! _Anything!_

Ace looked around the room and found a small window leading outside – it would be a tight fit, but Ace could probably just make it

As quietly as possible, Ace hopped on top of the small table that had the tablet on it – _he had one shot_

_If he missed – the guy would wake up_

If he made the jump to the counter – he could wiggle into the window

Ace took as deep of a breath as he could and hopped over to the counter

_Fuck! Fuck!_

Ace wobbled slightly, losing his balance but managed to get it right back just barely, leaning against the wall

_He did it!_

Ace launched his upper body into the window, ignoring the pain and all the broken glass now in his hair as he burst through the window – promptly shattering it

_He needed to get out!_

Forcing his body through the small opening, he could feel the cuts forming all over his face and shoulders, tearing through his flesh

He just needed to tolerate it! Just for a little while longer! _He was almost free!_

Ace just needs to find someone to call the Captain!

_The Captain would help him!_

He would! Even if he didn’t love him anymore, he was still a good person! Of the law! He’d do it to save his life!

_And then Ace promises that he’ll leave him alone forever_

_He’ll go away_

_To another city, another country – the other end of the World if he needed to!_

“Please save me one last time” muttered Ace as he felt his hips go through the window, thankful that he was still wearing his shorts

Ace grinded his teeth together as he did the worm on the snow – thankfully the window led directly to the ground level

_Everything hurt so fucking bad_

_But he was almost there_

_Alm-_

 

Ace let out a cry as he felt someone grip his ankles tightly and pulled him back in through the broken glass

Once back inside the hideout, his body was thrown to the ground

Ace screamed out as his already battered body slammed against the cold concrete

“Trying to run away, HMM? Did you think you could actually get away? Who the hell would help you? And now, after everything I did to keep your lovely face alone, you’ve gone and bloodied it all up! Well, does it really matter anyways? You’re not going to see tomorrow! ZEHAHAHAHA!”

Ace looked around the room, noticing that he was now completely surrounded

_Fuck!_

“Also, I just heard some quite amazing rumours! Apparently your little brother thinks we already handed you over so that you were at Impel Down! You know the giant federal prison nearby? So he broke in looking for you! Little did he know that I decided to not bring you over there! ZEHAHAHA!”

_What!? Luffy’s in danger?!_

_Why is he here?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GODDAMN SKIING_

_“_ But now that they do have him, I’m going to go pay them a little visit and finish what I planned with that brat”

_Fuck it_

If he was going to go out – _he’ll go out in a blaze of glory_

Ace jumped back on his feet, whipping around and kicking Van Augur right in the face, shocking everyone

Letting out a cry, Ace jumped again, tackling Burgess to the ground

There was an attempt by Lafitte to stop him, but once Ace bit him hard on the arm, the other let out a shriek, letting go of Ace who merely kicked him away

Ace quickly ran past a shocked Teach and went right out the room

 

Thankfully it seemed the hideout was merely one basement room and a main level

Ace ran for the front door, bashing right into it, knocking the door to the ground

_He was free!!_

Wasting no time, Ace got up from the ground where he landed and started to run towards the buildings he saw over the horizon

_Where the fuck was he?!_

Ace’s mind was spinning; he couldn’t make sense of his location or anything at all

His head was pounding, he could feel the blood pouring down his face from all the cuts

Fuck, his fever was getting considerably worst and the blood from his cuts was getting into his eyes

But who cares?! _As long as he didn’t stay in that shit hole_

Ace kept running, happy when he finally saw someone

This large black car was coming towards Ace and pulled over, making Ace hopeful

_Please please please_

This massive man wearing a big leather black coat came out of the car, frowning at Ace

_He was saved!_

“Sir! Please! Let me have your phone! Call the police! Ask for Captain Chase Smoker! Please!” pleaded Ace, falling to the ground, exhausted

“Aren’t you Ace D. Portgas?” asked the man, now smirking as he lit up a cigar

Ace felt his blood go cold

_Oh fuck_

Ace hadn’t noticed the white coat the man was wearing over his shoulders

_He was World Government!!_

“Well well well! Isn’t it, Shiliew!” cried out Teach, as he ran up to them

Shiliew gave Ace a shift kick in the stomach, making Ace cough up more blood

“They sent me to make sure that the prisoner makes it to his execution – seems I arrived at the perfect time?”

“Yeah, the bastard tried to escape!” yelled Teach, trying to catch his breath as he caught up

“Hmph, this is making me doubt your abilities, Teach” warned Shiliew, clearly not completely trustful of Teach

Teach though only laughed

“Like I told you! This guy would have been amazing on our gang! But he’s too loyal to the old bastard”

“Don’t insult Pops!” spat out Ace

But before he could say anything, he received another kick from Shiliew – but this time in the head

_NO! I have to save Luffy-!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up; during Ace's Great Escape Attempt, I had Joan Jett's Bad Reputation playing on loop as I wrote it!
> 
> So we're going back to Law next week and don't worry! Even if it's Christmas Eve, you will be getting an update! I promise you all that!


	93. -LAW- Razzle Dazzle (How Can They See With Sequins In Their Eyes?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CELEBRATE OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
> 
> Sorry about the delays in answering your comments! I read them all on my phone but I gotta be on the laptop to answer them! OTL
> 
> Thank you all so much for sticking by with me! Now onward to Law! To note - it's the 31rst right now in the fic!

 

 

 

“ _Urgh, I should have scoped out the perimeter way before I got here_ “

Law was slightly frustrated

_Okay, understatement of the century at this point_

Like it had been announced _everywhere_ , the World Government had shut down Gray Terminal  district completely and Law thought that he’d have no trouble sneaking in – but he completely underestimated the size of the Terminal and the amount of agents they had brought over

So even if he snuck into the district _– he had no idea where Ace was going to be traded over!_

_How could he deliver the proper information if he didn’t have it?!_

Law turned on his phone and looked at the latest text he got from Luffy

They had been infrequent and frankly kinda… _worrying_

Some talked about hanging out with some clown?? And a guy named Bon??

_Bon’s name came up a lot actually_

Others looked like it was right out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Law tried to ignore all the texts that talked about or mentioned Hancock

But now it talked about how they hitched a ride to the exchange??

Law wasn’t sure what the hell that was all about – _how could he hitch a ride?!_

They were only letting in armoured transports in and Law wasn’t sure you could hitch a ride with one?

Whatever, he needed to try to locate the exchange location first

 

Another hour went by and Law still hadn’t figured out how the fuck he was going to make his way inside the perimeter

It seemed like every nook and cranny was being supervised!

What was more horrifying is that Law knew that a considerable amount of homeless and poor people lived in the Terminal, well _, tried to_ and they were all gone

Any city that relocated their poor-off people for diplomatic reasons were fucking scum in Law’s book

But Law also noticed the severe lack of any gang members of any kind

Maybe Kidd had been right when he said that everyone was staying as far away as they possibly could

This was making things harder than it should be – Law was hoping to follow some gang members into the perimeter since they would know how to sneak in – right?

Law sighed loudly, getting frustrated

It was easy for him to sneak out of Flevance’s perimeter because he knew the city like the back of his hand

But this was a whole other can of worms

He didn’t know Gray Terminal at all

_Fuck fuck fuck_

Suddenly Law felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out

_A text from Bepo?_

He told Bepo not to contact him in case that all texts were being tracked!

But what surprised him was that Bepo had merely attached a photo and nothing else

_Odd_

Frowning, Law clicked the message and was shocked and happily surprised to see a photo of a hand-drawn map of what looked like the sewer system!

Law quickly found his location on the map and noticed that Bepo had circled a particular area in pen with a small note that said ‘much less guards in this area for some reason’

_Bepo – you beautiful bastard!_

Law looked around and found the closest manhole cover and was surprised to see that someone had already jacked it open

_The fuck?!_

_That was suspicious – was it a trap?_

Law frowned, looking around to see if he could find another manhole cover

And that one too was propped open

Just enough so that you won’t need tools to do it again but not enough that it’s not that obvious that it was already opened

Was this a trap?

_Or an escape route?_

Law frowned, he didn’t have the time to think about it too hard as he propped one open and started to climb down

 

Law was thankful that he had tied a bandana around his mouth because the stench down here was _pretty bad_

Odd that only a few years ago he had hid in a pile of corpses to escape

Maybe he had gotten soft after living such a cushy life with Cora?

Or frankly the smell down here was completely revolting and smelled like nothing like the smells that human bodies produced?

Then again, humans produced fecal matter – so that was incorrect

Maybe Law was used to the smell of blood?

_Whatever, it smelled like shit down here and Law was done thinking about it_

Following the map using the light of his cellphone, Law was able to navigate sewer system rather well to his surprise

Bepo was one magnificent person!

But then Law spotted an odd note on Bepo’s map

“Avoid this area!! There seems to be more security here than anywhere else? _Bepo, you dope_ , that’s _probably the handover location_!” mumbled Law as he looked at his map again

Huh, now that he noticed it – the perimeter kinda looked like a giant crescent moon shape

Law split off from the location he was heading for and turned towards the spot that was indicated on the map to stay away from

He didn’t need to exactly to ground level, but if he could at least confirm the location of the trade-off, he would have done his job!

Luffy would know where to go!

Luffy probably knew Gray Terminal like the back of his hand so he’d have no problem sneaking in!

_This was perfect!_

 

Law found himself directly under the location mentioned and he could feel the rumbling of all the people moving in all directions above him

_Damn_

_This was probably it then_

Suddenly he heard everyone running and stomping in one location

Did they all suddenly go into formation?

Law felt a car driving up and everyone stomped a foot

_Where they saluting?_

Law quickly scrambled up the ladder and opened the manhole cover slightly – he couldn’t see much without being caught

But he could hear, and hopefully that would be enough

_“SIR!”_

_“At ease”_

That was _definitely_ Sengoku’s voice

And someone was walking with him

It was probably Garp

But Garp wasn’t laughing and guffawing like he usually does

 Law frowned – it would make sense that he wasn’t; _the boy that he raised that like his own might get execute tonight_

Law paused

He heard someone else’s steps behind them

Just barely though – if he hadn’t been listening, he might have missed it

No

_It he wasn’t used to them_

_Was it Cora?!_

_It was Cora!!_

_What was Cora doing with them?!_

Law bit his lip, trying to hold himself back, gripping the ladder tightly

He just wanted to burst out and check if it was Cora, but he wasn’t going to get him in trouble like that!

_He refused!_

But if Sengoku just went inside whatever building was there, _Law heard a door close_ , that was probably the handover location

Law quickly climbed down the ladder and once on the ground, he pulled out his phone and quickly texted Luffy the location according to Bepo’s map

He had done his job!

Now, to see if he could sneak in above level

 

The other location was about a quarter mile away from where Sengoku was dropped off which confused Law

It wasn’t on the edge or anything – _so why was this area less populated with agents?_

Carefully and quietly, Law climbed up the ladder again and slowly popped off the manhole cover and looked around, making sure nobody had spotted him

Sure around, not a soul around?

What the fuck was going on?

Law climbed out and removed the bandana, about to throw it out in a nearby trashcan but hesitated

He might need to use the sewers to get out, so he’s better off keeping it with him

Law quickly tucked it into his back jean pocket and started to look around

The only gathering of agents he could see was around a –

_A restaurant?_

Or what seemed to have been a restaurant a long time ago

But now the lights were open and the guards in front seemed really nervous for some reason

Suddenly a long armoured vehicle showed up, parking in front of the restaurant

Law saw Tsuru, a World Government agent that he had known of since the days he was part of the Donquixote gang since she was a constant pain in Doflamingo’s ass

But also because she was one of the few agents who visited Cora in the hospital on a regular basis

Cora seemed rather fond of her, but Law didn’t feel the need or want to make friends with a World Government agent that wasn’t Cora, so he avoided Cora’s hospital room when she visited

_Why was she going to this shoddy restaurant place and wasn’t with Sengoku?!_

But then Law noticed that she got out of the car and had only stepped aside, waiting for the others to get out of the car

Wait

_Was she their escort?_

Then Law spotted Mihawk Dracule leave the car

And then Hancock Boa?!

The bitch was here?!

This other weird looking guy got out of the car and Law felt his stomach drop

Was this

Were these

_The Warlords?!_

_That means-!_

And without another moment going by, Doflamingo Donquixote stepped out of the car, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world

 

Law found himself torn in that moment

He could feel himself slightly shaking

Shaking from fear

Shaking from rage

He was so angry and so terrified at the same time

But there was Doflamingo

_In the flesh, under little to no security_

Mihawk would not protect him

Neither would Hancock

Law wasn’t sure about the other guy, but whatever

His only and real threat in this scenario was Tsuru, but Law could see her looking the other way if he attacked Doflamingo

Meaning that he needed to make sure that any hit he does on Doflamingo was direct and exact, with no hesitation – _he needed to kill Doflamingo in one hit_

Law reached behind him, bringing Kikoku forward

With his blade, it should be enough to give Doflamingo a wound that would be fatal

From his back, going forward and upward - _through the heart_

Law smirked

Stabbing Doflamingo through the heart would be exactly what he deserved

_And such sweet poetry too_

But now he needed to find a way in

 

_Who knew all he really needed to sneak in was an apron?_

The back of the kitchen of the restaurant was in a total uproar as they tried to get the Warlord’s meals ready

Everyone in the back where hired kitchen help that apparently worked at many different bases so they didn’t really know each other, enabling Law to blend in rather well

It took mere seconds to recognize which mean was being prepared for Doflamingo

It seemed the other still ate the same food after all these years

Law played with the idea of poisoning Doflamingo’s food with some floor cleaner – but it seems that the kitchen’s staff was forced to sample everything that was cooked before it went on the floor so uh

_Law didn’t feel the need to be responsible for the death of a rando_

But he did take advantage of the chaos to go sneaking around to get the layout of the restaurant

Apparently to make the place looked better they had put thin room partitions around the table

Law supposed for privacy too

Law smirked – this was making things way too easy for him!

If anything, it was once again rather poetic

Beautiful, delicate room partitions will be hiding him

It was like a kabuki play

He’s probably going to be arrested on the spot though

Law only wished that Cora was nowhere near

But he supposed asking for his attempted murder to go perfectly would be ridiculous

 

As the Warlords started eating, Law quietly slipped away from the chaos of the kitchen and sulked back to the main floor

He quietly and carefully slid behind the partitions – thankful that they were black and not white

_He didn’t need his shadow exposing him!_

On the other hand, the partitions were surrounded by a thick black curtain to hide outside light

Sliding between the curtain and the partitions, Law quietly made his way to where Doflamingo was sitting

Law could hear Doflamingo cackling loudly

He could smell the cologne the other usually wore

He could feel his presence in the air

He could feel every hair on his arm stand on end

He could hear every creak of the wood of the table, thankful that the floors were cold concrete and gave him the silence he needed

He could hear clanking of the silverware and the glasses

Law could feel his heart pounding in his chest

Law could feel the sweat on his brow

_He had one shot_

The needed to stab the Nodachi right through at the exact right spot

But due to the coat that Doflamingo wore – Law also needed to stab really hard

_No hesitation_

And if Law was lucky – Doflamingo would choke on the food he was eating too

_It would be perfect_

_Absolutely perfect_

Law put himself in position, directly behind Doflamingo

He crouched down, putting his arm forward to balance himself, his other taking his blade as quietly as possible from its sheath

Putting the sheath down on the floor, Law then steadied himself using Doflamingo’s shadow as his guide

He knew how Doflamingo was built – meaning if he wanted to hit his target right – he had to stab through right _there_

Law had found the location

_It was show time_

Law took a deep breath

It was time to finally finish this

After a year of torment

After a year of wanting revenge for what Doflamingo did to Cora

_This story was finally ending_

Law was about to exhale when suddenly he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and arm wrap around his torso, pulling back

Law try to struggle against the person, but quickly smelled the chloroform

_Fuck!_ He was so concentrated on getting his position right; _he didn’t have time to notice that someone was behind hi-_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, you sure screwed the pooch there, Law
> 
> Who grabbed him? What will happen?
> 
> Who knows! But what I do know is that I'm going to try really hard to post Cora's chapter on the 31rst and Ace's next one on his birthday! So the 1rst! No promises, but I'll try super hard!


	94. -CORAZON- God Save the Helpless (I Can Only Do So Much)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now things are slowly getting to the climax - are you all excited? It's time to fill-in some gaps!
> 
> AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

 

 

 

_The tension in the room could be cut with a knife_

Cora crossed his arms, leaning against the isolated room’s wall

He had been ordered by Sengoku to keep a close watch on Garp when Sengoku wasn’t able to be present

Frankly Cora wasn’t quite sure why; Sengoku and Garp had been close friends for years, _longer than Cora even knew Sengoku!_

But then again, knowing Sengoku, he could only imagine how pissed off the other was about this situation

“I want to speak to the boy alone“

Cora threw a look towards the screen and then quickly shifted his gaze away from the screen

Ace looked so incredibly horrible and it was taking everything he had not to go bust the kid out

_How the fuck was Garp able to keep a straight face through this?!_

“ _What? Why?”_

“Humour me, will you?” replied Garp “I need to fully confirm it’s the target”

 “ _Whatever you want, we’ll be in the other room_ ”

Garp closed his eyes and took a deep breath

“Are they gone?” asked Garp, keeping his serious expression

“ _Yeah_ ”

“Well, well, well, look at you. Ace you still alive, Ace?”

“ _Barely_. _Old man…couldn’t you be here in person? Kill me, snap my neck, poison me, do anything?”_

Cora closed his eyes tight, biting his lip so hard that it started to bleed

He was trying so hard not to cry right now

Ace was asking for his Grandfather to kill him, _to end his life_

“Kill you? Why?”

“ _Because – this is a trap, isn’t it? This handover crap? It’s going to make a big show out of offing me and the Whitebeards might come and I don’t want that, so just, please, find a way to come here and end me first”_

_Typical Ace_ , thinking of others before himself

 “Don’t be rash, you fool. There’s nothing you can do now. Whitebeard won’t stop if you die. Nothing can prevent this war now! We’ve angered him, he’s coming no matter what” explained Garp

Garp then sighed heavily

He seemed _, broken almost_ for a slight moment

“I wanted you and Luffy to become great Navy men but instead you became _thugs_!”

But then, Garp paused for a moment, seeming slightly happy for a second

 “Oh, yes! I spoke to Luffy about his father! A-“

“ _Neither Luffy or me care about that. In fact, we’d rather not talk about it. The fact that we both have world-class criminal blood flowing through our veins…there’s no way the World Government would have accepted us into their ranks anyways but…”_

Well, _he had a point_

_“…I own the name Portgas a great debt. For mom who gave up her life for me. I’d rather forget my good-for-nothing father! I don’t owe him anything. I never even met him!”_

To think all this is happening for a man that Ace had never even _met_

If only his mother had survived, maybe Ace wouldn’t feel so alone in this

“That may be, but he has his own reasons for-“ started Garp, seeming slightly distraught by what Ace was saying

Cora raised a brow, shocked

_Why was Garp defending Rogers?!_

“ _Give it up, Gramps!”_ yelled Ace, cutting off Garp “ _Whitebeard is my only father!”_

Garp seemed stunned by the information – but before he could say another word, the door slammed open in the feed

Cora looked down at the ground, trying to figure it out how exactly he was feeling right now

His heart was breaking for Ace

His heart was breaking for Garp

He doesn’t even know how he’d feel in Garp’s place

On the other hand, _he also didn’t understand how the hell Garp agreed to take in Roger’s son!_

How do you spend your entire career hunting down this one criminal – _only to take in and raise that man’s son for 18 years after?_

But in retrospect – _hadn’t he done the same thing_?

Doflamingo had raised Law as his heir, as his own

And yet he had snatched Law away from Doflamingo away, to give him better, to let him live, be happy, have limitless possibilities

Cora smiled softly to himself – he never knew he had so much in common with Garp

Maybe after all this is over, if it all goes well, maybe he should sit down with Garp and have a beer and just talk

The feed suddenly stopped and Garp stared at the screen in complete shock

And suddenly Garp let out a small whimper and put his head in his hands

Cora paused and then quietly shifted out of the room – knowing very well that Garp probably didn’t want anybody to witness his breakdown

 

 

Cora went down the familiar hallways of Marineford, hearing his heels clack on the floor was slightly irritating him though

He didn’t like people being able to hear him as he moved around

But right now needed to go see Sengoku and report that it’s confirmed that Teach had Ace

Sorry _, Portgas_

Sengoku was getting mad at him and Garp whenever they mentioned Ace by his first name

_Saying it was too personal_

Cora exhaled, he needed to relax and stay in-character if he was going to pull this off

“ _Yes! The Strawhats have been scattered successfully! They attempted to follow Strawhat Luffy, but Kuma intervened and dealt with them accordingly_ ”

Cora froze, staring at the door in front of him

_What the hell was that?_

Looking up, Cora couldn’t deny the truth; he was standing in front of Sengoku’s office

And to his luck, the door was closed, so he could keep listening in

_Fuck! Are the kids okay?!_ He needed to contact Bellemere ASAP to see if she knew anything!

_“Also, sir, um, the agents following the Whitebeard gang, they completely lost them from sight”_

_“Excuse me?!”_

_“All contact has been severed-!”_

Cora moved away from the door, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping and he had heard enough

He quickly shot a text from his burner phone to Bellemere, asking if she had heard from Nami

Bellemere quickly texted back, saying that she hadn’t

Cora frowned sharply

Should he?

_He needed to_

Cora texted Bellemere telling her to try to contact Nami ASAP because Luffy was spotted in town

_He wasn’t lying per say_

_But…sorta lying?_

Cora didn’t get a reply from Bellemere so he decided to make his way back to Garp

Bellemere would message him when she got the info anyways

Turning the corner, he bumped right into Garp

“Oh uh…” started Cora but Garp merely cleared his throat

“Mind keeping what you saw back there to yourself?” asked Garp, seeming embarrassed even though his face as still all red

Cora nodded, knowing very well that Garp didn’t need Sengoku know that he broke down over what happened to Ace

“C’mon, let’s go, _your master must want his dog back_ ” grunted Garp as he moved past Cora

Cora’s jaw dropped, insulted

_The fuck?!_

 

Garp was laughing loudly, tears in his eyes as his face was completely red now for a completely different reason

Cora bowed his head, biting his lip as he leaned against the wall in Sengoku’s office

_He couldn’t laugh_

_He wasn’t allowed to laugh_

“WHAT’S SO FUNNY, GARP?!” screamed Sengoku “AT A CRITICAL TIME LIKE THIS! THIS IS A DISASTER! FIRST ENIES LOBBY, THEN THE ATTACK ON THE CELESTIAL DRAGONS, AND NOW THIS! IT’S UNPRECEDENTED!!”

_Honestly Cora couldn’t believe it_

Luffy had no only somehow broken into Impel Down, the massive World Government prison – he had broken into so bad, got to the down to the floor with the highest secure level, _looking for Ace_!

_Who breaks into prison?!_

Apparently the guards had caught Luffy, _but he somehow managed to escape!_ So Sengoku was now, losing his mind

Garp though seemed to be enjoying it, munching away on his rice crackers

“- No one else has even been able to break in or break out throughout history! The great prison Impel Down has been impregnable for all these years! AND THE FIRST PERSON TO EVER BREAK IN AND RUIN IT’S REPUTATION IS YOUR GRANDSON, GARP!!” screamed Sengoku, pointing angrily at Garp

Garp on the other hand was only laughing hard, giving a thumb up

“I’m so proud of that boy! He’s great!”

“Kuma Bartholomew said he annihilated the Straw Hat Pirates at the ski resort! So that was a lie!”

Cora sighed in relief, hoping it was the case

Garp huffed, leaning back on the couch as he kept munching on his rice crackers

“Well, I never believe a Warlord’s words! But how did Luffy get through the blockade surrounding the prison?”

Sengoku lunged himself at Garp, grabbing the other man’s collar, pulling him forward as Garp kept laughing

“IF YOU WEREN’T CALLED THE WORLD GOVERNMENT’S HERO, I’D MAKE YOU PAY FOR THE SINS OF YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY, GARP!”

“HAHAHA! This old man’s life isn’t worth nearly enough to pay for a fiasco like this! HAHAHAHA!” declared Garp

Cora’s in total awe, to think that Law’s boyfriend was this –

_Amazing_

_Luffy was amazing_

Cora’s phone vibrated, surprising him

“I’m going to go take this” mumbled Cora as he walked out of the room, knowing very well that Sengoku wouldn’t really notice him right now

He was too busy trying to kill Garp

 

Once in the hallway, he read the text that was sent from Smoker merely stating ‘ _news_ ’

Cora snorted and shot Smoker a quick text explaining that he had now visually confirmed that Teach had Ace, of Luffy’s break-in and escape and the location they were heading for the trade-over

Soon enough, Smoker replied back

Cora raised a brow

“Status update on Ace?”

_All he was asking was about Ace’s status_

Cora smiled softly at the phone

He really hoped after all this is over and done with, Smoker could be honest about his feelings

_But he needed to be honest_

He told Smoker about how horrible Ace looked and that he needed medical attention as soon as possible

Smoker merely replied that they were heading into position

Cora let him know that he’d been on the scene

“ _ROSINANTE!_ Let’s go! We have to go to the carrier!” yelled Sengoku, sticking his head out of the doorway, clearly still mad

Cora blinked, holding his phone

Sengoku’s eyes narrowed at the cell

“ _Who are you texting?”_

“Bepo. I’m asking what they’re doing – they said they’re trying to get an earlier flight home since everyone apparently left the resort? I’m wiring them money for the flight” lied Cora

Sengoku merely nodded, believing him as he walked out of the room, laughing Garp in tow as they made their way down the hallway

Cora sheepishly followed behind them

 

Cora huffed, _he hated these cramped carriers_

“Is the livestream ready?” asked Sengoku

One of the agents in the carrier nodded

_Honestly, who the hell thought that squeezing like, 8 adults in this carrier was a good idea?!_

“Yes sir! Everything is ready and running smoothly!”

“Livestream?” asked Cora, crossing his arms and raising a brow

_Why are they talking about a livestream now?_

“Of course. All major executions are recorded, Rosinante, you know this” replied Sengoku “The general public have the right to witness the extinguishing of Roger’s bloodline once and for all”

It took everything Cora had not to lash out in the carrier

“Recorded yes, but livestreamed? Isn’t that a little much? Don’t you think that people might take offence or outrage at the public execution of a minor?” pointed out Cora, digging his nails into his arm, trying to calm himself down

Garp remained silent

“Anyone that has Roger’s blood isn’t protected by any law that protects minors” reminded Sengoku “Also, this order came from above. I have to obey it”

Cora is completely disgusted with the idea

_They’re going to goddamn livestream Ace’s murder?!_

_What the hell was wrong with this world?!_

“Understood” merely replied Cora, not wanting to talk about it any more

He took a quick look at Garp only to find him seeming stoic and calm

But as he looked down, he could see that Garp’s hands were slightly shaking

_Garp was handling this so badly_

_Why was he even coming to this?!_

But then, Cora then noticed that Sengoku was in a dark, foul mood

Cora would have thought that he’d be happier because he finally caught who he’s been chasing for nearly 18 years?

_But then again, his best friend had been hiding the fugitive for 18 years_

Cora groaned slightly, of course he’d be stuck in this carrier between them right now

 

Cora frowned

“Isn’t this an old warehouse?”

Sengoku merely nodded

“Yes, it’s massive but only has two entrances. Teach is going to come in from the back door, we’ll go in from the front door for the trade-off” explained Sengoku “And then we’ll go through the front door where the execution platform is getting ready”

“A platform?” asked Cora, surprised

“Yes. Another request from higher up. Since Roger was beheaded, they wish for the same to be done to Portgas”

“That’s rather… _medieval_ , don’t you think?” asked Cora, horrified

“ _Rosinante_ ” warned Sengoku, promptly shutting him up

As they walked up to the warehouse, there was hundreds of World Government soldiers around in position

“ATTENTION!” was yelled out by the leader and all the soldiers stomped their feet

_“SIR!”_ called out the all the agents, nearly deafening Cora

_“At ease”_ replied Sengoku, waving his hand

As they walked towards the warehouse, Cora noticed something _…weird_

As they drove here, he noticed that all the manholes were all slightly open

And the one he was walking up to also was

_Had anyone else noticed this?_

_Probably not, yeesh_

Cora rolled his eyes, that was the problem with most World Government agents – _too much combat training and not enough observation training_

Cora shot a look down at the manhole and to his horror he couldn’t believe what he saw!

He knows those eyes looking from the manhole!

_Those are Law’s eyes!_

_Law’s in there?!_

_WHY IS HE IN THE SEWERS?!_

The manhole cover dropped down and Cora couldn’t stop the panic growing in him

_He needed to find Law and now!_

But if he went down the manholes right now, he _might get Law arrested_

_Shit shit shit shit_

“Where are the Warlords right now anyways?” asked Cora as nonchalantly as possible

Sengoku shot him a look and carried on inside, not saying a word

Cora blinked, surprised

_Sengoku was keeping the information from him?!_

_Seriously!?_

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder

“Go back about a quarter mile away. There’s an abandoned restaurant that’s being used for their dinner”

Cora looked at Garp completely shocked and then he smiled slightly

Garp patted Cora’s shoulder and walked into the trade-off building and Cora followed suite

Looking around, Cora was surprised at how similar the layout of the building was to the one that they raided a while back

_Urgh Buggy was so annoying_

He hoped he didn’t have to deal with that clown any time soon

_Now he needed to leave, find a way to escape to go to this restaurant!_

_He needed some sort of distraction!_

Sengoku frowned as his phone rung and pulled it out, answering it

“Wait, what?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN STRAWHAT LUFFY NOT ONLY ESCAPED PRISON, BUT ALSO STOLE AN ARMOURED CARRIER WITH MANY OTHER CRIMINALS?!”

_Annd there we go_

_Corazon withdraws coolly_

 

Corazon quickly found the restaurant in question and snuck through the back

Thankfully because he was wearing his World Government uniform, nobody questioned his presence at the restaurant

He grabbed one of the servers’ arms, pulling him in

“Explain the layout of the main floor. _Now.”_ ordered Cora, frowning sharply

“U-Uh, well, there’s the table, with all the Warlords, and around them is like, these screen things and around that is these thick light stopping curtains so nobody outside can see them eating inside?” explained the server, looking terrified

“Okay” answered Cora, letting the guy go with a big smile on his face and left the kitchen without another word

Once he entered the main floor, he could easily see the thick curtain surrounding the table

Cora frowned, slightly moving to slip behind the curtain on the side of the wall and quietly moved around it

If his hunch was correct, _maybe just maybe_

_Ah!_

_Right there_

Cora just heard the unsheathing of a sword

It was probably Law

_NO LAW!_

_Goddamnit Law!! That’s not why I paid for that damn thing!_

Cora quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and with his other hand; he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small metal case. Opening it with his thumb revealed a series of small vials neatly tucked inside

Snatching Law away when he was 13 was one thing, but now the damn kid is much heavier, _so he’ll need a little help_

_Especially if he needs to make sure that Doffy doesn’t hear them_

Cora quickly opened the vial and soaked his handkerchief with the liquid and stuck his arms though the closest opening in the curtain

He quickly put the handkerchief on Law’s face, making sure his nose and mouth were covered and within a few moments of struggling, Law fell in his arms and Cora grabbed the falling nodachi with his other hand, hissing slightly as he grabbed it by the blade

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck THAT HURT fuck fuck fuck fuck!!_

Cora quickly pulled Law behind the curtain on his side and set him down for a moment to remove the handkerchief from Law’s mouth and threw it aside

Cora quickly re-sheathed the nodachi, ignoring the blood that was getting everything from his cut hand

He picked up Law in his arms and quickly made his way outside

 

Law grunted slightly as he opened his eyes, squinting

“What th-“

_Oh good, he was only out for a few minutes_

Honestly Cora was a little worried he had used too much! He was starting to get really concerned since he had brought Law to this isolated alley and the other hadn’t seemed to be waking up!

Cora had even put down a noise distorting device to make sure nobody could overhear them because he knew that Law was going to lose it

“Shhh” said Cora, running his hand through Law’s hair, having removed Law’s hat a few moments ago, squatting in front of Law

“W-Why am I outsid- _DID YOU DRUG ME?!”_ yelled Law, clearly annoyed

_Annnd now he was mad again_

Without even thinking, Cora slapped Law across the face

_He only saw red_

_He was furious right now!_

Law looked at him completely shocked

“ _How dare you! How dare you_! I did not sacrifice everything for you for you to only become a murderer!” yelled Cora, shaking in anger “How dare you lie to me about going on a fucking ski trip when this whole time you planned on skipping out and going on a fucking Doflamingo hunt! You’re such an idiot! Such an idiot! YOU MUST BE THE SMARTEST DUMB PERSON ALIVE!”

“ _But he tried to kill yo_ u!” argued Law, now out of his stupor

“ _Shut up! Shut up_! It’s my job as your guardian to handle Doflamingo! It’s my job! He’s my responsibility! _Yours is to live!”_  

“Y-You-“ started Law, stumbling over his words “ _You used chloroform on me_!! What the fuck!!”

Cora’s merely frowned at Law, not impressed and flicked Law’s forehead

“ _I used sevoflurane_ , you dope. Nobody uses chloroform anymore because it takes too damn long to work”

Law blinked, his face becoming a deep dark red

_Clearly he was embarrassed for thinking sevoflurane was chloroform_

_Of course Law would be embarrassed about something so stupid_

“I guess I’m going to have to teach you the different smells between the two, huh?” teased Cora, chuckling

But then his expression grew serious

“Law, you need to go home _. Now._ Things are about to get real ugly, real fast here and I don’t want you anywhere near it”

“No” replied Law, grabbing his hat from Cora’s hand and putting it back on his head “I’m here to help”

Cora groaned – _of course Law is!_

_“Fine._ How about we make a deal though” offered Cora, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up, hissing as he remembered the cut on his hand

Law frowned sharply, taking Cora’s hand and quickly pulled out his small medical kit and started to clean up and stitch up Cora’s hand as the other sat down

_Of course he was fixing him up_

“Listening” finally said Law after a long moment of silence

Cora smiled softly, pride in Law’s abilities welling up in him

“You can be on standby – _but only to help Luffy escape_. He’s on his way and he’s going to try and get Ace, were you aware of this?” asked Cora

Law merely nodded as he kept stitching the hand

“Yeah, I told him where to go” admitted Law “ _Fine._ I’ll stay away from the main battle and secure an escape for Luffy _and Ace_ ”

“ _No, concentrate only on Luffy_ ” replied Cora “There’s a chance that Ace might have another escape route planned for him, it’s much harder to escape two people than just one. So concentrate on Luffy and then contact me to let me know that you’re safe”

Law said nothing for another moment and then sighed loudly. Law nodded, finishing up the stitches on Cora’s right hand and bandaged it up quickly

“Okay, fine” Law then stood up “But you take care too”

Cora nodded and Law went up to a nearby manhole cover and flipped open the manhole cover easily and started to climb down

_Are they all loose?_

“Now scram! And I better see you at home when I get there! With Bepo!” warned Cora, yelling down the hole

Cora could help but smile when he heard Law’s chuckle rumble around the sewers

Cora quickly put the manhole cover back

Once he was done, Cora turned the corner, coming out from the alley and suddenly an agent ran up to him

Cora blinked, surprised that an agent seemed to be looking for him

“Can I help you?”

“SIR!” started the agent, saluting

Cora sighed

“At ease, soldier”

“Sengoku asked for your presence for the trade-off! _It’s time!”_

Cora nodded, throwing his cigarette on the ground, rubbing it out with his foot and then put his hand in his pocket, clicking a button on a device in his pocket

“Run off and tell Sengoku that I’m on my way” ordered Cora as the agent turned around and ran towards the trade-off location

He only hoped that the GPS’ signal was strong enough for the Captain to find him, otherwise Ace might not live to see his 18th birthday

_At least now he knew where Law was_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have it! It was Cora who grabbed Law aaaaallll along!
> 
> Also, bad news, I won't be able to post Ace's chapter tomorrow simply because when I was looking at it all, I realized that I didn't have the time to write the chapter because it's going to be one massive chapter
> 
> That's right, the next chapter is going to be the biggest chapter I've written to date! So, please look forward to that during Ace's birthday week!


	95. -ACE- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Teach Them How To Say Goodbye )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to start this chapter with an apology!
> 
> I’m REALLY sorry I didn’t update last week! I didn’t mean to at all but I was bedridden really bad for a week with a really bad flu after an overnight hospital visit (for a test! Don’t worry!) and then it was right back to work right after and honestly, I wouldn’t have want to read anything my flu-med addled mind would have written
> 
> But honestly, I’m so so sorry for being a week late with this chapter! I’ll try my best to not let it happen again!
> 
> Anyways, this is a biggie, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

 

 

 

Ace wasn’t sure who he hated more at this point

Teach was a horrible son of a bitch

_But this new guy was a real sadistic fuck_

Apparently Teach had wanted to keep his face clean or some shit, _but not this guy_

Ace is pretty sure his head is split open right now or it sure felt like it

_Not like it really mattered anyways right now_

 

They had put him in actual handcuffs and shoved him in the trunk of the car after the new guy had taken the time to beat the shit out of him

They thankfully hadn’t bothered to put the bag back on his head, but it wasn’t making much of a difference since he was in the trunk of a fucking car

Lying back in the trunk, Ace tried to calm down his racing heart

There wasn’t any point anymore of panicking, soon he’ll be dead

_Listen Luffy, we have to live our lives without regrets_

 

Ace bit his lip, trying to keep himself from tearing up as the memories of messing around in the forest with Luffy bounced in his head

They had just lost Sabo

Luffy was a mess and Ace was trying so so hard to hold it together

He wouldn’t die, he promised Luffy

_He wouldn’t die_

“ _I’m so so sorry, Luffy”_ muttered Ace in the darkness, his head feeling like total shit

He wanted to sleep, make the pain and the ache in his body just stop

But he knew that every moment he had conscious right now was his last

 

“Look, he’s still awake!”

Ace hissed loudly at the bright light suddenly overwhelming his sight

Oddly enough, it was dusk and there wasn’t that much light to begin with

_What the fuck was wrong with him?_

Suddenly Shiryu grabbed Ace, throwing him out of the trunk and onto the ground

“Stand up” he ordered before giving Ace a swift kick in the stomach, making him groan

Ace turned his head slightly to spit blood into the cold snow and glared at the guard, forcing himself to his feet

“Walk forward! Into the building!”

Grunting, Ace clearly felt the barrel of a gun at the small of his back

_Ironic considering that they were trading him away for an execution_ but honestly he’d rather not be killed by Teach and his men

Ace lowered his head as he walked towards the unfamiliar warehouse, entering the building

_Wait, since when did he have shoes?_

Once inside the warehouse, he kept walking forward until he found himself at the doorframe of the central room of the building and suddenly was pulled back as someone tugged on his handcuffs behind him

_Fucking hell!_

“Are you ready?” asked Shiryu into the room

“Yes, bring him forward” said a voice inside the room

“ _Now go_ ”

Ace walked into the room and was surprised by the sight

Every inch of half of the room was covered by World Government soldiers and the other half had some sort of barricade made with only a narrow entry-way

The wall of sandbags, barbed wire and fencing was actually rather impressive

But on the other side of the barricade, waiting in front of a small table with a stack of papers on it was Sengoku

Ace had avoided the man like the plague during his lifetime

Garp was told him his entire life to stay the hell away from Sengoku

_Don’t let him ever see you_

_Don’t let him ever look at a picture of you_

_Don’t give him a chance to wonder why you look nothing like me_

Honestly, Ace never asked Garp what he had even told his best friend about him

Garp never kept it secret that Luffy was Dragon’s son – but what excuse did he give about him?

_Where did he come from in his story?_

_How did Garp ever explain him away?_

Well, it didn’t really matter now honestly

 

Another World Government agent came through the entryway a moment later behind Sengoku, surprising Ace

_And what shocked him even more was that it was Rosinante!_

Ace looked at him completely dumbfounded, not sure how to handle the sight in front of him

There was Rosinante, mister Trafalgar, officer Trafalagar; standing there in a pure white suite and blue dress shirt with the Admiral’s jacket on his shoulders like his Gramps

He had so much respect for Rosinante and he betrayed him like this?!

But the moment Rosinante’s eyes met his; Ace instantly knew it wasn’t the case

The other‘s eyes looked so despaired, _in so much pain_

So some reason, it oddly comforted him for a slight moment

_That someone actually felt bad for him_

But then Ace looked at Sengoku, and his blood ran cold

If Rosinante’s eyes were full of sympathy and pain

Sengoku’s were filled with hatred and loathing

“Alright, I see you have brought us exactly what you promised” started Sengoku as he pushed the pile of papers on the table forward, putting a pen down on it

“Sign right it’s marked ‘x’ and you have officially joined the Warlord program. Donquixote, give him his copy”

Teach paused slightly as he took the pen, signing the document and laughed brightly

“Hahaha! _Right_! I forgot that poor sap was Doflamingo’s brother! Hey, me and your big bro are part of the same club now!”

“ _And what a club that is_ ” replied Rosinante, his voice cold as ice as he held out the sealed envelope to Teach “By accepting this package, you also agree to follow _every and all_ orders given to you by the World Government. Failure to do so will lead to your privilege of being protected by the World Government to be stripped and we will have the right to persecute you and yours to the full extent of the law, _understood_?”

“Yeah yeah, I got what I wanted” said Teach, grabbing the envelope and gestured to his gang members behind him “Let’s bounce, we have to run”

“Your presence is required at the execution!” barked Sengoku, furious that Teach was leaving

“We’ll be back in time, old man, I promise” said Teach, laughing “Just gotta go deal with a small little monkey”

Ace instantly saw red, trying to lunge towards Teach but was quickly restrained by World Government Agents who had filed into the room, holding on to him

“ _Enough, Portgas._ You will not be escaping us” sneered Sengoku as Ace helplessly watched Teach leave, cackling away

_Luffy!!_

 

Ace was quickly put in a small portable one man jail cell

He was forced to be standing up, his hands and wrists sticking out outside of the cell, handcuffed from out there

He had a really bad fever, his insides felt like garbage, his head felt like he was underwater, not sure what was even going on

A dry cough that had started was hurting him every time he coughed, unable to ignore the splatter of red every time he coughed

_Fuck_

Suddenly the door opened and Ace looked up surprised

Rosinante came in and closed the door behind him, smiling sadly

“How are you holding up? Uh…well, considering everything” asked Rosinante, clearly this was hard for him to handle

“Get out, I have some sort of sickness or something and it might be contagious!” warned Ace, not wanting the other to get sick “Teach is a disgusting sack of diseases right now because of the Akumanomi he took!”

Rosinante smiled softly and took a step forward, reaching a hand forward, holding a handkerchief and wiped the blood off Ace’s mouth, his other hand cradling Ace’s cheek

“I know, but illness has never stopped me from caring about a child in need”

Ace was instantly floored by the small gesture of kindness and easily closed his eyes, allowing himself the simple, comforting touch for a moment, leaning into Rosinante’s hand

“Maybe with all of your compassion, you should have been a man of the cloth” teased Ace softly

Rosinante merely chuckled in return as he kept trying to clean up Ace’s face

Ace knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless

“Sometimes I feel like I am with all the orphans I keep collecting”

Suddenly there was a banging on the door and Rosinante looked at Ace sadly

“I have to go, but Ace, please, _don’t lose faith_ ”

It took everything Ace had not to scoff in Rosinante’s face

But the last thing he wanted to do was ruin this small comfort he had just received, so he merely stayed quiet, bowing his head in one last thanks as Rosinante left the cell

 

Not long after, the door reopened as Ace was grabbed by two soldiers

He was led down a narrow path, leading to what seemed to be some makeshift scaffold

It was an incredible yet horrifying sight; all the hundreds of uniformed soldiers all over in the broken down ruins of Gray Terminal

He saw Hina, now wearing a suit and a grim look on her face and not laughing with a beer in her hands, wearing a tank top and shorts

He saw Hancock standing with an odd group of people that he assumed were the other Warlords and not in the halls of school or as his date to dances

Going up the stairs of the scaffold, he noticed three massive throne-like chairs and each chair had a domineering man sitting in it

He didn’t recognize the first one, _but he sure recognize Akainu_

And also Smoker’s friend – Kuzan was it?

_Figures_

Once he was on top of the scaffold; the soldiers made him kneel right in the middle of it, facing the crowd with two soldiers on either side of him holding very long blades

_Oh goodie, his executioners_

Looking up, Ace saw his image being projected on many massive screens, watching on the screen as his executioner’s blades came down to cross in front of him

_This was being televised?!_

_They were going to make a spectacle out of his execution?!_

Ace huffed

_Of course they were_

This it really was anyways, wasn’t it? A big old show for the world to see

Here he stood, the last with the blood of the evil scum of the Earth

_The Devil’s Son_

_Struck down by the righteous World Government_

Beheaded like his father was

Why did he expect anything else?

This is the world he was living in

 

Hours went by, Ace watched as the sun slowly set, enjoying its sight for the last time

_Maybe he should have watched more sunsets_

There was a ridge in the forest, when you sat down on it; you had a beautiful view of the ocean

Ace had spent so much of his childhood just sitting on the edge of that cliff, watching the ocean

One day dreaming of leaving

One day dreaming of traveling

Seeing the world, meeting new people, learning new things

He always loved the idea of being a nomad

But he also always loved the idea of having somewhere to call home

Suddenly Ace is broken out of his thoughts when he heard the heavy footsteps of people coming up the stairs to stand right beside him

Ace kept his head down, not wanting to acknowledge them but from their feet and uniform, he could only guess it was Sengoku and Garp

He heard words being exchanged and Garp stormed off the ground level leaving only Sengoku and his executioners with him

“Stand back” ordered Sengoku as the soldiers around Ace moved away and Sengoku stood right besides Ace

“I have something to say to you all” started Sengoku, his voice booming from the screens surrounding them “This is being livestream to make absolutely sure it’s recorded and also so that nobody can doubt the validity of the events that will be taking place tonight. The execution of this man, Ace D. Portgas is a matter of enormous import! You might have been wondering why were are making such an official and public execution of a mere thug on the Most Wanted list, but all of this will be made clear very soon”

There was a short pause and Sengoku spoke again

“Ace… _What is your father’s nam_ e?”

Ace frowned, looking at Sengoku from the side

Like hell he was going to say it!

“My father is Whitebeard!!”replied Ace, closing his eyes

_It was the truth!_

_It was his truth_

“NOT TRUE!!” yelled Sengoku in his microphone

“IT IS TRUE! Whitebeard is my father! THERE IS NOBODY ELSE!” yelled Ace in return

“We were looking everywhere when we got the word from Cipher Pol about the possibility that one of his children might be on a certain island. We examined newborns, unborn infants and their mothers and found nothing” continued Sengoku “But that was only natural. Your mother used a trick to hide you that cost her her life!”

_My mother was amazing_

_She didn’t deserve to die for me_

“We were fooled. The whole world was fooled! Your mother lived on the island of Baterilla in the southern hemisphere! Her name was Rouge D. Portgas! She did something we never imagined was possible! She used remedies and drugs to slow down your development enabling her to hide her child in her womb for 20 months in order to save it!”

“She bought your life at the cost of her own”

_It was such a waste_

_Mom, why did you waste your life for me like this?_

“Your father was executed one year and three months before you were born. The blood of the most terrible fiend the world has ever known runs through your veins”

There was no way to deny the rumbling of the crowd right now

“Don’t pretend not to know!! YOUR FATHER WAS ROGER GOLD, THE KING OF THE UNDERWORLD!”

The entire crowd roared in shock after a moment of stunned silence

Nearly 18 years of hiding it -

Now the entire world knew

“Years ago, when you started going to school, you took your mother’s family name and when you were fourteen, you began working your way up a an amazing speed as the leader of the Spade gang. That was when we discovered that the bloodline of Roger Gold had not been extinguished”

_That long ago?!_

“But we weren’t the only ones who learned the truth. Whitebeard took you in, the son of his former rival, aboard into his gang so that he could raise you to be the next King of the Underworld!”

“NO!” yelled Ace, cutting off Sengoku “I joined Pops to help him become the King of the Underworld!”

He wasn’t going to stand for such lies!

“You’re the only one who believes that. Don’t you know why we were never able to touch you? Because Whitebeard was protecting you!”

Ace looked at Sengoku shocked, not sure how to swallow the information that he was being fed

_How was this even possible?!_

“But you had to be stopped! So we had to strike now before you were legally protected on your 18th birthday when the warrant would expire! In time, your abilities would eventually allow you to lead a new generation of gangs on a reign of terror! For this reason, your execution today is necessary!” yelled Sengoku, looking down at Ace “EVEN IF IT MEANS AN ALL-OUT WAR WITH WHITEBEARD!”

 

Ace was trying to muddle everything through in his head when a soldier came running up the stairs

“SIR! SIR! I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS! THE BARRICADE AT THE PERIMETER HAS BEEN BROKEN THROUGH BY ONE OF OUR OWN ARMOURED VEHICALS! WE TRIED TO CONTACT THE DRIVER BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER!”

“WHAT?!” yelled Sengoku, horrified

Suddenly Ace heard a loud rumbling and everyone looked around, trying to find the source confused

Hundreds of people poured out of nowhere, surrounding the World Government soldiers as they ran into the open square

Ace stared in shock from his spot on the scaffold, recognizing all the faces

He knew these people! All of them!

They were all allies of Pops!

Bohemian Knight Doma! Thunder Lord McGuy! The Decalvan Brothers! Squard!

“You guys are here too?!” said Ace in total awe

And suddenly all the manhole covers popped open and hundreds of other people came out of them, forcing the soldiers to go into retreat, towards the scaffold even more

_It was the Whitebeards!!_

Suddenly on top of the building facing the scaffold about a mile or so away, a door opened on the roof and Whitebeard came out into view, walking up to the edge with Marco to his side

“How long has it been, Sengoku?”

Ace couldn’t mistaken Pop’s booming voice

“My beloved son had better be all right!!” yelled Whitebeard, smirking as he looked right at Ace, brandishing his bisento “ _I’m coming Ace_ ”

“POPS!!” yelled out Ace, unable to control himself

_Pops came! He came!_

Whitebeard touched the wall of the building to his side for a second before throwing his fist back and slamming into the building, sending it tumbling down

The soldiers below screamed in horror as they ran away from the crumbling structure, horrified as Whitebeard merely smirked, standing still as the building he was on shook from the impact

Pops’s ability was really flashy, in the end what it really was that Pops would instantly narrow in on a weak spot in a building

Like being able to find the perfect straw to break the camel’s back

Also his body didn’t get vertigo whatsoever due to an Akumanomi he ingested, so Pops never lost his balance, so it made for a very impressive and terrifying show when you didn’t know what was going on

Ace couldn’t help but think back at the first time he was face to face with Pops

How impressed and terrified he was in Pops but still held strong

Not wanting to let down his gang members

In turn, he impressed Pops and got picked up by him

Pops in turn took him in, raised him, cared for him

_And now he was putting him in danger_

Because Ace just didn’t fucking listen

“Pops, guys, I ignored your warnings and went off on my own! SO WHY CAN’T YOU CAN JUST ABANDON ME TO MY FATE?! I BROUGHT THIS UPON MYSELF!”

_Leave! Escape! Don’t risk your lives like this! Not for me!_

“ _No.”_ Pops answered sternly “I sent you on that mission, my son”

_What?!_

“That’s not true-! Stop talking nonsense!”You tried to stop me! You –“

“I ordered him to go, right Marco?”

“That’s right. I heard you. Sorry you had such a rough time, Ace! But everyone should know better than to mess with one of our crew”  started Marco, crossing his arm “Anyone who lays a hand on one of us has to suffer the consequences!”

“WE’LL MAKE THOSE RESPONSIBLE PAY FOR THIS, ACE!” yelled someone in the crowd

“JUST YOU WAIT! WE’RE COMING TO SAVE YOU ACE!” yelled another as the crowd of Whitebeards cheered

 

And everyone started shooting

Ace’s eyes were darting everywhere, trying to keep track of what was going on as pure chaos erupted underneath him

He was seeing friends getting shot down left and right, soldiers dropping like flies as shots kept firing all around him

Ace felt like an idiot for only noticing now that he had a Plexiglas in front of him – so nobody would accidentally shoot him I guess

_Or save him_

Ace spots Akainu stand up from his chair and  pulled out an assault rifle and aimed it right at Pops and shot

Ace didn’t even have time to react before he saw Pops merely deflect it with his weapon, amused more than anything

But before Ace could say anything, a large figure emerged from the crowd, breaking their way through the crowd of soldiers

_No!! Oars!!_

“I’M COMING ACE!!” yelled Oars as he pushed off the soldiers from him, trying to force his way through

“He’s got a terrible underling under his command” noted Sengoku

“OARS! GO BACK!! YOU’RE TOO BIG A TARGET!” yelled Ace as the soldiers started to shoot at Oars

The big guy was truly a gentle giant, but with his massive frame and height, it was hard to miss him

“ACE!! I’M COMING TO SAVE YOU!!” yelled Oars as he kept pushing his way through even through from his position, Ace could see Oars was being littered in bullets – _yet it wasn’t stopping him_

Oars suddenly screamed, throwing himself into a decrepit old building, making it collapse. The debris made a clear path towards the scaffold as everyone ran out of the way of the falling building

_Damn! Good idea, Oars!_

But suddenly there was a bright blast, blinding Ace

When the light dimmed, Ace noticed that Oars was now standing still but all bloodied

“OARS!!”

Suddenly bigger and louder blasts came at Oars, shocking Ace

_This was overkill!!_

The soldiers were using explosives!!

He saw Oars towards someone in particular. It was Doflamingo! A moment later, Oars threw himself at him, almost in a desperate attempt to take him down

But to Ace’s horror all he saw was Oars’ massive foot go flying into the air as Doflamingo loudly laughed

_Fuck! He knew this!_ Doflamingo’s specialty was the garrotte!

But even missing a foot, Oars kept moving forward

“ACE!”

“OARS!” yelled Ace, unable to handle his gentle giant of a friend getting hurt so badly for him

And suddenly Moriah shot him point blank in the back and Oars went down

Ace merely stared horrified at Oars fallen body as he was unable to block out Doflamingo’s loud laughter even over all of the chaos

 

Ace turned his head, surprised when suddenly someone walked on the scaffold and stood besides him

“Gramps…” stated Ace, not sure what was going on

“What are you doing here, Garp? You haven’t had second thoughts, have you?” asked Sengoku, making it clear that he wasn’t in the mood to play

“No. We’re fighting gangs here. There’s no reason to show them any mercy” explained Garp as he sat down besides Ace, crossing his arms

“Then…”

“SHUT UP! Just let me sit here!” barked Garp

There was a moment of silence before Garp restarted speaking

“But this is family! What am I supposed to do?”

Ace couldn’t deny that he could hear Garp’s voice breaking up

Looking at his grandfather, he was shocked to see genuine tears in his ears, snot falling from his nose as he shook slightly

“Ace! Why?! Why didn’t you live the way I told you to?!”

“Gramps-“ but Ace was quickly cut off

“Just don’t get any funny ideas in your head, Garp or I’ll dispose of you too” warned Sengoku

“Hmph! If I was going to do something, I’d have done it a long time ago!” admitted Garp, annoyed at the implications

Ace was about to say something but suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise

Ace turned his head, seeing a vehicle going up an old multilevel car park a few miles away and suddenly the vehicle went flying off the side of the parkade, towards them

Screams were heard in the crowd as the hatch of the vehicle opened and all the occupants jumped out, flying out before the vehicle hit the ground with a loud crunch

_“What?”_

_Holy fuck_

_It was Luffy_

_LUFFY JUST CAME FLYING OUT OF THE VEHICLE_

Ace watched in horror as Luffy flew out from the open hatch and landed on a nearby rooftop, on top of a pile of garbage bags

 “LUFFY!!”

_Holy shit, his brother was dead_

But then Luffy stood up, the crowd backing away from him as he yelled, triumphant, waving his hand

_Ace was going to kill him if he got out of this_

“ACE!! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!”

Ace looked at Luffy completely horrified

_He was with Jinbei?! Sir Crocodile?! BUGGY?! Ivankov?!_

“GARP!! IT’S YOUR FAMILY AGAIN!!” roared Sengoku, furious beyond reason

“LUFFY!!” yelled Garp, horrified

Garp looked around, as shocked as Ace

“They sure are an odd lot. They don’t seem to have any common interests in this battle” pointed out Garp

Ace had to agree

_What the hell made this group come together?_

Ace wished he could ask Luffy

But Ace’s attention was soon diverted because he suddenly saw Crocodile behind Whitebeard, clearly about to cut his head with that hook of his but before Whitebeard even had a chance to move, Luffy kicked Crocodile away, having jumped over from the neighbouring building

 Suddenly he saw Luffy and Whitebeard talking, but for once, neither of their voices carried over the sheer chaos of it all

 

“Shall we execute them all?” asked the man that Ace didn’t recognize on the lower platform

“Of course”

And everything erupted once more

 

Eyes darting everywhere, more and more of Ace’s friends were falling in combat

Losing one comrade after another

And his eyes were stuck on Luffy

Hina attacking Luffy, but somehow he got away

Luffy fighting Moriah and his genetically modified soldiers

And every hit that landed on Luffy destroyed him more and more

“DON’T COME UP HERE, LUFFY!!” screamed Ace “YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! YOU AND I ARE IN DIFFERENT GANGS! WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS! I HAVE MY OWN FRIENDS!! THERE’S NO PLACE FOR YOU IN THIS PART OF MY LIFE!!”

Ace inhaled sharply, making sure he could yell as hard as possible

“YOU THINK I’D LET MYSELF BE RESCUED BY A WEAKLING LIKE YOU?! THAT WOULD BE AN UNBEARABLE INSULT! BEAT IT, LUFFY! WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!”

Ace then threw his head down, trying to hide the tears that were coming

_Please Luffy!_

_I don’t want you to get killed for me!_

_It’s my own fault that I’m here!_

“I’M YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!!” yelled back Luffy “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GANG RULES!!”

“ _You stubborn little_ -“muttered Ace, gritting his teeth

Luffy shoved more soldiers out of the way, beating them one by one

Somehow avoiding being shot, shoving them all of out of his way, punching, kicking, knocking down everyone and anyone who even tried

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” yelled Sengoku, over the microphone “DON’T LET A LONE ROOKIE TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BATTLEFIELD! THAT MAN IS A MENACE TO THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY! HE GREW UP WITH ACE! THEY’RE LIKE BROTHERS! AND AS FOR HIS BLOODLINE, HE’S THE SON OF DRAGON THE REVOLUTIONARY!”

Ace instantly turned his head to look at Garp who merely looked blasé

“I don’t care. There’s no point in hiding it anymore. Luffy is already a notorious outlaw in the World Government’s eyes. This news won’t make any difference now”

“SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT!” continued Luffy, yelling at the top of his lungs “I’M GOING TO SAVE YOU EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!!”

Ace felt his heart sank

_This was exactly what he didn’t want!!_

Ace nodded his head his defeat

“What is it?”

Ace blinked and raised his head

“I don’t care what the future holds for me. I accept it. I reach out to the hand that offers me help and I accept the blade that would execute it…” Ace took a deep breath

“I won’t fight it anymore. I’m sorry, everyone”

 

“Sengoku, sir! The New World Gangs are splitting up!” yelled a subordinate from the lower level

“Yes...They’re forming up on either side” muttered Sengoku

Suddenly there was huge blasts coming out of every direction, but facing towards all the vehicles parked around the vicinity

“They’re attacking our vehicles!!” yelled Sengoku

“ _Excellent foresight._ Did you figure it out, Whitebeard?” muttered Garp, catching Ace’s attention

_Huh?_

_What did Garp mean?_

“He didn’t take the bait. I suppose my ruse was a bit clumsy” replied Sengoku

“But intuition alone won’t save him”

_What?!_

A loud thunk distracted Ace who turned his head to see Luffy get clubbed right in the face and thrown backwards

_Who?!_

_What?!_

Ace’s blood suddenly grew cold

He hadn’t noticed a new addition in the crowd of soldiers

_There was police officers wearing riot gear!!_

_The Goa police department was here?!_

Never in a million years would Ace mistaken who had just struck Luffy with what looked like his giant jitte

_It was the Captain!_

_Why was the Captain here?! Why was he fighting Luffy?!_

The fight lasted but moments, Luffy being quickly overpowered by Smoker, who had him pinned down

_This was a nightmare_

_He can’t_

_He couldn’t-_

Ace could feel his breath becoming laboured and he started shaking

_This was a nightmare scenario to its fullest!_

_It needed to end!_

_It needed to end right now-_

_Oh_

_Thanks Hancock_

With a swift kick, Hancock was able to kick Smoker off of Luffy, and she seemed furious

Why the hell was Hancock helping Luffy?!

_Oh yeah, her weird crush on Luffy_

But why the hell is the Goa Police Station even doing here?! What was even going on?!

 

And Ace heard the blades above his head suddenly go into position

_What?!_

“The preparations are complete!”

“Cut the broadcast on all videos. We mustn’t lose the world’s trust. Keep the one for the records running only, but do not livestream it no matter what. The shock of what’s about to happen might shatter the trust people have in us. There’s no need to broadcast this tragedy to the rest of the world” explained Sengoku

Ace looked at him surprised _– why was he calling his execution now a tragedy?!_

“In a few hours, the inhabitants of the world need to only know that we were victorious. That is all”

Ace didn’t know what to say when suddenly another round of armoured vehicles with canons came in from behind the crowd

_Holy shit_

They were going to slaughter everyone if they needed to!!

Sengoku raised a brow, looking towards his left ear                         

Ace frowned slightly – it looked like he was listening to someone

“The wings may be out of action but we can still attack them from the front and the rear! Proceed as planned and aim for the gang members! Start with the ones not in the target area!”

Ace jumped slightly as the canons started shooting into the crowd

_This was a bloodbath!_ Even if they were aiming for the gang members, they were killing their own men!

“After the broadcast has been cut, activate the encirclement wall! Then we will execute Ace and capture all the criminals at the same time!!”

Ace snarled

_No wonder he didn’t want this televised!!_

_This would disgust people!_

Ace watched Luffy as he moved around, the commanders of the Whitebeards covering for him, allowing him to move forward

For a brief moment, Ace was so happy to see everyone, especially Izo who seemed in a better state now

It was an odd thing to be comforted about right now – but he’ll take it

“HAVE ALL THE BROADCASTS BEEN CUT?!” yelled Sengoku, clearly growing impatient with everything happening

“NOT YET SIR! Only one of the broadcasts is still on! The signal is being difficult!”

“WHAT IS GOING ON?! HURRY IT UP!”

“ _That’s-!! He kept his identity a secret until now!! But he was a member of Roger Gold’s legendary gang! AREN’T YOU THE GREAT GANG BOSS BUGGY THE CLOWN?”_

Suddenly every screen projected the image of Buggy

“ _That’s right, it’s me!”_

The broadcast kept going, falling into total madness and they tried to retake a live video _and it was probably the greatest thing Ace had even seen_

Sengoku was losing his mind though but if Ace heard correctly – someone hacked the signal and took over the feed

“MAKE THEM STOP RIGHT NOW!!” howled Sengoku, his face a deep scarlet

 

Ace looked forward and saw Whitebeard still standing on the rooftop, but now Squard was besides him

They seemed to be talking, Ace watched, wishing he knew what they were saying when suddenly Squard lifted that big knife he always carried around

And stabbed Pops right in the stomach

_No_

_NO!_

Marco came out nowhere, pushing Squard’s head right into the concrete of the floor, screaming at him

“WHY DID YOU DO IT?!”

“SHUT UP! HE HAD IT COMING!” yelled Squard, pushing Marco out of his way as Pops dropped to one knee

Everyone stopped fighting to look up at the scene happening on the rooftop

“TELL THE TRUTH, WHITEBEARD!” yelled Squard, loud enough that Ace could easily hear him “YOU’RE IN A CAHOOTS WITH THE NAVY!! YOU MADE A DEAL WITH THEM TO SAVE THE WHITEBEARD GANG AND ACE!!”

‘HE’S LED US INTO A TRAP! I NEVER KNEW THAT ACE WAS THE SON OF ROGER!! WHEN YOU TOOK ME UNDER YOUR WING I WAS ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD! AND YOU KNOW WHY! BECAUSE THE GANG I’D FOUGHT WITH FOR SO LONG HAD BEEEN ANNIHILATED BY ROGER GOLD HIMSELF!! YOU KNEW I HATED THE MAN!”

Ace couldn’t stop the overwhelming guilt that was taking over him right now

“YOU SHOULDN’VE TOLD ME THE TRUTH! THAT ACE WAS ROGER’S SON AND YOU WANTED TO MAKE HIM THE NEXT KING OF THE UNDERWORLD! I TRUSTED YOU! BUT YOU ALREADY BETRAYED ME!! YOU WERE LAUGHING AT ME WHEN I BECAME FRIENDS WITH ACE!! ACE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU, AND NOW HE’S BEEN CAPTURED!!” continued Squard

“THAT’S WHY YOU SOLD US OUT! IT’S THEIR LIVES IN EXCHANGE FOR ACE’S! YOU MADE A DEAL WITH SENGOKU SO THAT THE CORE GANG AND ACE WOULD BE SPARED WHILE YOUR ALLIES WOULD BE CAPTURED! OU MADE FOOLS OF US ALL! WE CAME HERE READY TO DIE FOR YOU AND ACE AND NOW THE WORLD GOVERNMENT IS ONLY ATTACKING US!!”

Squard was saying something else, but Ace couldn’t catch it, it seemed that Squard’s voice was going

But Marco’s anger was quite clear as he grabbed Squard’s shirt lapel and pulled him in close

“YOU FOOL!! THEY TRICKED YOU, SQUARD!! HOW COULD YOU DOUBT POPS?!”

Pops stood still, glaring at Squard

Words were exchanged, but again, Ace couldn’t hear them

But then Pops threw his arm around Squard and pulled him into a one-armed hug

Pops then stood up, glaring darkly at Akainu, fury clearly on his face

Taking a step to the side, Pops slammed his fist into the building on his other side, making it collapse over other buildings, one crashing down after another

The sound was deafening

 

Once the dust settled, Ace looked over the damage, appalled

So many buildings had been taken down by the one Pops made collapse!

“So…you created an escape route for your men. Very clever old man” muttered Sengoku

Ace blinked, looking towards where the building fell and he was right! If anybody wanted to leave, they could just run on top of the fallen debris and it would lead right out of Gray Terminal into the forest!

“IF YOU ARE GANG MEMBERS, DECIDE NOW WHO YOU BELIEVE!!” yelled Whitebeard

“Pops!” yelled Ace, shocked

“IF YOU’RE COMING WITH ME, KISS YOUR LIVES GOODBYE!!” yelled Whitebeard and Ace could see all the Whitebeards and their allies cheering

“LET”S GO!” roared Whitebeard as he jumped off the roof, landing into the battlefield on top of an armoured vehicle by the ground and then hopped down on the battlefield

“STAND YOUR GROUND!! THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD IS CHARGING US! DO NOT BE FOOLED! HE COULD BE PACKING EXPLOSIVES!” yelled Sengoku over the microphone

Ace watched in awe at Pops was taking down people one by one

His trick didn’t only work on buildings

He knew instinctively exactly where to hit, to touch, to grab to send anybody flying down

Also, he could instil vertigo on others, making them feel like the ground was moving

It was as if Pop could create personal earthquakes in everyone and anyone he touched

 

Utter chaos erupted once again as people were shooting at Pops, trying to take him down, the Whitebeards and their allies fought harder and with more gusto on the battlefield and Ace couldn’t spot Luffy, driving his anxiety through the roof

_Please oh please let Luffy be okay_

“The operation is going as planned. We will now perform the execution of Ace D. Portgas”

Ace bowed his head slightly at Sengoku’s announcement

_This was it_

A loud bang shocked Ace and he saw this massive jet of water go flying in the air

It almost looked like someone used a fire hydrant and broke it o-

_Luffy?!_

Luffy had somehow used the flow of water and somehow rode the stream to the scaffold on top of a plank of wood but now he was face to face with the three Admiral

“LUFFY!!”                                                                                   

_It’s hopeless! Luffy! Run! YOU IDIOT!_

“LET ME HAVE ACE!” yelled Luffy, using the wooden plank he rode on as a bat and tried to slam is down on the Admirals

Luffy tried to fight all three at once but he was quickly being overwhelmed

Suddenly he was pinned down by Aokiji but Marco came out of nowhere and kicked him off Luffy

Ace exhaled, relieved

Another loud rumble got Ace’s attention and from his position he could see a giant transport truck driving straight for the platform, honking the horn loudly

People erratically jumped out of the truck’s way but Ace couldn’t miss the fact that the men driving the truck _were Whitebeards!_

The two men inside of the truck jumped out, allowing the truck to crash into the platform, shaking the whole thing and making the Plexiglas wall collapse to the ground, no longer attached to the scaffold

All the Whitebeards cheered loudly

“Pops?!” asked Ace, confused as he looked into the crowd for a smirking Whitebeard

“Is your head still on your shoulders, Ace?”asked Pops, proud of himself

“ALL RIGHT, MEN!! WE’RE GOING TO SAVE ACE AND SHOW THE WORLD GOVERNMENT WHO’S BOSS!” yelled Whitebeard

Suddenly all the Whitebeard started to swarm the truck, climbing on top of it to get to the top of the scaffold without using the stairs

_Of course!_ On the stairs they’d be sitting ducks and could be knocked off one by one, but this way, they had more options!

“Looks like we won’t be getting off easy this time” said Sengoku as he rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists

_What the hell was he going to do?!_

 

Marco quickly scrambled up on the truck and ran up from the cargo to the top of the truck. He crouched down and leaped up into the air, landing on the lower level of the scaffold, turning to make his way up to where Ace was

But within seconds, Garp was onto him, punching him hard in the face, throwing him off the scaffold and back on the ground

“Who gave you the order to move out?!” demanded Sengoku annoyed

“IF YOU WANT TO GET PAST ME, IT’LL BE OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU BRATS!!” yelled Garp as he sat down in one of the thrones, crossing his arms

 

Ace crumbled forward, closing his eyes

_He couldn’t take it anymore_

It was all too much for him

“What is it, Fire First?” asked Sengoku

 

_Roger D. Gol? You mean Roger Gold? Do I know about him?_

_Do you know why gangs wreak so much havoc in this world?_

_It’s all because of Roger Gold!_

_That creature should never have been born into this world!_

_He’s a horrible piece of human trash! He’s worth nothing alive and even less dead!_

_“He’s the worst catastrophe that could happen to this world! Remember that!!_

_“What did you do in town, Ace?! Everybody’s talking about some kid who almost killed a bunch of local urchins!”_

_“You want to know about Roger?!”_

_“Roger?! Don’t ever utter that vile name in my presence, brat!”_

 

“ _HAHAHAHA! You’re a real troublemaker lately, Ace!”_

_“Old man, you have a grandson, don’t you? Is he…happy?”_

_“You mean Luffy? He’s all right”_

_“Old man”_

_“What?”_

_“Would it…Would it have been better if I was never born?”_

_“Well…_

 

_-Only time can answer that question”_

That’s what he had said

But…

Would it-

 

_“ACE!!”_

_“WE’RE COMING TO SAVE YOU ACE!!”_

_“WE’LL BE RIGHT THERE!!”_

_“DON’T GIVE UP!!”_

 

“No!! I…- I’m so torn up inside! Even now! Pops…Luffy…All my brothers…They’re all bleeding and dying for me!” confessed Ace as the tears started to flow freely down his cheeks, sobs wracking through his body “It touches me so deeply – the tears won’t stop flowing! Even after everything I’ve seen and done…I-”

_I what?_

_What?!_

What did he want?

_Oh_

“-I STILL DON’T WANT TO DIE!!”

He wanted to live!

_How long has it been?_

He wanted to live!

_He wanted to see tomorrow!_

He wanted to hear from Luffy how the hell he wound up with such a weird group!

He wanted to hug Sabo and ask him about his mission with Koala laughing besides them!

He wanted to hang out with the Whitebeards after school!

He wanted to annoy Dadan and start the pipes up too early in the morning!

He wanted to go see the police officers at the station and laugh with them!

He wanted to stop Rosinante from worrying over him!

He wanted to make sure Law was good and scared of him for Luffy’s sake!

He wanted to keep Smoker in his life! As a lover or as a friend! Didn’t matter!

He wanted to eat food! Learn new things! Finish school! Continue his life! Meet new people!

He wanted to be in love again! He wanted to love his friends and family, freely and openly!

He didn’t want to die! He didn’t want it to end here!

_He needed to know what tomorrow had in hand!_

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaAAAAAHH!!!!”

Ace lifted his head

_Luffy?!_

 

Suddenly Ace didn’t even know where to look anymore

_Luffy was on fire_

He was running towards the scaffold like a madman, shoving, punching, and kicking everyone and anyone in his way

At the same time, Ace was seeing all of his friends get taken down one by one

Marco got handcuffed, Jozu got stunned and they had started a heavy assault directly on Pops

Ace couldn’t stop staring at the horror in front of him

The man who took him in was being bombarded with attacks, bombarded with gun shots

_Because of him!_

And then, suddenly, Pops stood up a little straighter and knocked everyone around him down

“I AM WHITEBEARD!” roared Pops , trying to catch his breath “I know exactly what it would mean if I were to die. That’s all the more reason to stay alive until I’ve guided my sons towards a brighter future. Right, Ace?”

Ace looked at Pops stunned as all the Commanders gathered around him, surrounding him

_This is something the World Government never seemed to understand_

_They were loyal to Pops out of love not out of obligation_

“WE’RE HERE TO DEFEND POP’S PRIDE!” yelled Haruta

Ace felt so proud of all of them

“IF IT’S THE FUTURE YOU WANT TO SEE, I’LL GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE RIGHT NOW!!” yelled Sengoku “STRIKE!”

Every single hair on Ace stood on end as his blood ran cold

He heard the blades of his executioners rise

Ace clenched his eyes shut

This was it

_It was the end_

“TAKE A GOOD LOOK, WHITEBEARD!” taunted Sengoku

Ace could hear his heartbeat, pounding in his ears

The last time he would ever hear it

If only he had been given just a little bit more-

 

_“STOP!!!”_

 

-Time

The sound had been so piercing, so sudden that everyone froze

The executioners halfway through their movement, the inertia caused them to fall over, missing Ace by mere inches

Ace stared at Luffy charging towards him in utter shock

_His little brother had managed to somehow stop everyone simply by sheer will alone_

He wasn’t a child anymore, he was capable and determined

At least Ace knew that no matter what happened, his brother could take care of himself

“BACK UP LUFFY THE STRAW HAT WITH EVERYONE YOU GOT!” ordered Whitebeard

Suddenly the formation changed completely

Everyone encircled Luffy and worked as a massive human battering ram, forcing their way forward through the crowd towards the scaffold

Ace jumped slightly when there was suddenly a giant wooden plank leaned over by his side

Looking down, Ace could see that it reached the bottom!

It seems that a ramp had been built!

Luffy jumped on the ramp and started to run towards Ace

“ACE!!”

Ace couldn’t believe it

_He might actually get out of this!_

But then there was a large thump and Garp was right in the middle of the ramp, blocking the way

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, GRAMPS!” yelled Luffy as he kept running towards Garp, no intention of slowing down

“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, LUFFY! I’M A VICE ADMIRAL!”

Garp started to stomp his foot down on the makeshift ramp, with every intention of breaking it

“I’VE BEEN FIGHTING GANGS SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE EVEN BORN, BOY! IF YOU WANT TO PASS, YOU’LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST! THAT’S THE PATH YOU TWO HAVE CHOSEN!” declared Garp

“I CAN’T DO IT, GRANDPA! JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!” pleaded Luffy

“DO IT OR ACE WILL DIE!”

_“NO!”_

“THERE WILL BE MANY THINGS IN LIFE THAT YOU WON’T WANT TO DO!! I’LL SHOW YOU NO MERCY! YOU’RE AN ENNEMY OF THE STATE!!” yelled Garp as he winded up his fist, ready to fight Luffy

But Luffy punched first and somehow managed to take down Garp

The ramp suddenly fell, collapsing under them

 

But at the last second, Luffy leaped, landing right on the scaffold besides Ace, smiling brightly

“Ace!! Ace!! I have the key to your shackles! Just you wait!” announced Luffy, digging through his pockets

“HALT! Do you think I’d allow you to escape?!” yelled Sengoku

Ace turned his head and couldn’t believe what he saw

Sengoku’s skin had this odd golden sheen to it and seemed to have become rock hard or something

_What the hell was this?!_

Luffy yelped suddenly when a gun fire shot nearly hit his hand but it sent the key flying down on the ground

“The key!!”

“Urgh what just happened? Did I pass out?”

Luffy turned to turn towards one of the executioners who apparently knock themselves unconscious when he fell

“Mr.3?! What are you doing here?!” asked Luffy, shocked

“I’LL EXECUTE YOU MYSELF!” yelled Sengoku

_Fuck, Ace wished he could see behind him!_

Suddenly the scaffold was collapsing

Suddenly he was falling

He could hear Luffy and this Mr.3 guy yelling

And there was suddenly a big explosion

 

_It was hot_

There was fire everywhere

But Ace, for the first time in the last few days, wasn’t restrained

“You never change, Luffy!” yelled Ace, reaching behind him to grab Luffy “You never do as I tell you and you get yourself in big trouble!”

Ace grabbed Luffy by the waist, holding him close as they landed on the ground

He could feel the fire on himself, but right now, the adrenaline was pumping so hard in him that he could barely feel it

But he could hear the crowd loudly cheering as they both landed on the ground

“Keep your guard up, Luffy!”

“Okay!”

Ace froze when he felt a bag hit his back, he looked down and spotted that it was _his_ bag!

Ace reached down and quickly opened it instantly seeing his gloves!

Who the hell brought his gloves to him?!

_No time!_

Ace slipped them on as quickly as possible and lit them up

Whoever brought them to him had also refueled them! They had been empty during his last fight with Teach! _This was amazing!!_

Ace went into a battle stance, making sure Luffy was well within his defensive range

“Can you still fight, Luffy?” asked Ace, getting concerned for his heavily breathing dope little brother

“Of course!” answered Luffy

“I’d never dreamed I’d see the day where you had to save me! Thanks Luffy” Ace made sure there wasn’t a single ounce of malice in his voice, he truly was thankful to Luffy

“I couldn’t have done it without that Whitebeard guy’s help!” admitted Luffy, grinning

“BUT YOU’RE STILL SURROUNDED AND YOU’LL ALL GOING TO DIE!” yelled some army officers as the shots at them began

_Lets go-!_

 

It was now Ace’s turn to rampage

He took down adversary after adversary, him and Luffy moving together as one well-oiled machine

“He’s my brother, I’d appreciate if you didn’t hurt him!” announced Ace before he plowed his way through a crowd of soldiers, moving them out of the way

Right now, more than anything, _they needed to escape!_

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger, Luffy!” complimented Ace, genuinely impressed

“One of these days, I’ll surpass you, Ace!” replied Luffy

“Then I should be the one protecting you now, Luffy! Stand back!” announced Ace as he created a giant wall of fire, thankful that he had his gloves back

_Seriously, he was going to kiss whoever fixed up his gloves right in the mouth!_

Suddenly the truck from before started moving, backing up from its spot into the scaffold

_Who the fuck?!_

Ace couldn’t believe it, _it was Squard!_

But soon the truck was stopped by Pops who quickly wrenched a metal pole into the back, holding the truck into place

“POPS!” yelled Squard

“Don’t you realize how cruel it is to make a father burry his son?! And if you think that little jab of yours hurt me?! Everyone grows old and dies eventually” started Pops before he turned around to look at his men

“We’ve done what we came here to do! Our business here is finished!” Ace didn’t miss how laboured Pop’s breathing had become

“And now these are my final orders as your boss! Listen carefully, Whitebeards”

“FINAL?! What do you mean final?! Don’t talk like that boss!”

_Please, don’t!_

“I don’t want to hear that!”

“Aren’t we all going back together?!”

“POPS!” yelled Ace, heart wrenched

“It’s time for us to part ways!!” yelled Pops “You must all survive and continue onward!”

“Pops?!”

“Are you planning on dying here?!”

“I’m a relic of a bygone era!! No ship can carry me into the new age! GET AWAY FROM HERE, MY SONS!!”

“POPS!!” yelled Ace, completely shocked

Never in a million years did he want to go home without Pops! _No!_

“We can’t leave you behind, Pops!”

The Whitebeards all swarmed towards Pops, with every intention of saving him

“CAN’T YOU FOLLOW YOUR BOSS’ ORDERS?! GET AWAY FROM HERE, YOU LOUSY BRATS!” yelled Whitebeard, knowing very well that they won’t – there was a fond smile at the corner of his lips

Ace found himself stunned stiff

He could hear Luffy yelling his name behind him, begging

_They needed to go!_

_They needed to leave!_

But not like this! _Ace couldn’t like this!_

“Ace!! We have to go! Don’t let the old man’s sacrifice go to waste!” yelled Luffy

“Don’t worry, I won’t!” assured Ace as he walked slowly up to within Pop’s sights and dropped to the ground, bowing deeply

“I have little use for soft words, but tell me one thing, Ace” started Whitebeard

The world around them, so a single moment, seemed to stop, to slow down

“Where you happy with me, as your father?”

“OF COURSE!!” yelled Ace, using all the strength he had

He didn’t want Pops to doubt his love, his loyalty and his gratitude

_Pops had saved him_

Ace would probably be dead in a ditch years ago if it wasn’t for Pops

No, more than that, Ace would have never known what it was like to be so loved, so accepted, so welcomed if it wasn’t for Pops

Pops didn’t only save his life

_Pops saved his soul, his love, his everything_

Ace was rewarded with a warm, happy laugh

 

“RUN! RUN TO THE TRANSPORT WE HAVE TAKEN ON THE EDGE OF TOWN!” yelled one of the Whitebeards, giving Ace a slight shove to get him to his feet

“Ace and Luffy! Get in the front!” ordered Jinbei “They’re specifically targeting you two! It’s Pop’s last wish that his men get away alive!”

“You free Ace and then turn and run, eh?”

_Akainu_

“The Whitebeard gang is a pack of cowards”

_What the fuck was he saying about us?_

“But considering who your leader is, that’s no surprise!”

_You wanna run that by me again?!_

“Whitebeard is a loser from a bygone era”

Ace froze, turning around to face the piece of garbage who has spewed those words

“Ace!!” yelled Luffy, stunned that Ace had stopped running

“ _A loser?!”_

Ace glared at Akainu, he wasn’t going to take that kind of shit from him!

“ _Take that back!_ Take back what you said!”

“ _ACE! DON’T!! KEEP RUNNING!”_ begged the Whitebeards running by

“Ace!!”

“He said something bad about Pops!” answered Ace

“ _Ace!!”_ begged Luffy

“Your real father, Roger Gold, stood in his way, making him an eternal loser who could never become the King, that’s who Whitebeard is” stated Akainu calmly “I’m only telling the truth”

Ace stood, facing Akainu

“You thugs call him Pops and love him and put on this farce that you’re one big happy family” continued Akainu “Even though he ruled for decades, he was still never able to become the King of the Underworld! He never achieved his dream. And in the end, one of his own idiot ‘sons’ was smooth-talked into stabbing him! And now he’s going to die to protect that same idiot! Isn’t that a failed life?”

“ _STOP IT!”_

Ace was seeing red

_He was not going to let him get away with this!_

“DON’T LET HIM PROVOKE YOU, ACE!! GET BACK HERE!” yelled Izo                      

“POPS GAVE ME A PLACE I COULD CALL HOME!!” yelled Ace, shaking “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIS GREATNESS!”

“People who live outside of the law are worthless! You thugs don’t deserve a happy home!” replied Akainu “ _Whitebeard will die a loser!”_

“WHITEBEARD IS THE GREATEST GANG BOSS IN THE WORLD!! HE CREATED THIS AGE!”

_Don’t you slander the man who saved me!!_

Ace lit up his gloves, ready to destroy Akainu’s face

“THE NAME OF THIS ERA IS WHITEBEARD!”

There was a loud explosion

Ace felt searing pain as he was throw backwards

Once on the ground, he looked at his severely burned arm, his glove had been completely destroyed, the fire backfired and it exploded?!

_How could this have possibly have happened?!_

“You think because you ingested an akumanomi that makes you resistant to heat that you’re getting careless, aren’t you? So did I, but mine made me resistant to heat so high that I can touch magma with my bare hands, boy” explained Akainu as he walked towards Ace “I grabbed the exit nozzle of those fancy little gloves of yours and stopped them right in their track!”

“My abilities are far superior to yours” stated Akainu as he turned to look at fire that was burning due to the explosion to his side, reaching inside of it to pull out what seemed to be a metal rod that had broken, holding it with his hand

It must have been a million degrees and yet Akainu was showing no sign of it injuring him whatsoever

“Roger Gold, the King of the Underworld and Dragon the Revolutionary! How surprising that their sons are blood-brothers. You’re both criminals by blood! You’ll never be allowed to escape! You brothers won’t get past me!!”

Akainu then smirked

His gaze moved to his side

Ace looked, only to see Luffy had fallen to his knees exhausted

Akainu pulled his arm back, clutching the metal rod like a javelin

_No!_ He was going to stab Luffy with the metal pole! No!

“Just watch”

“HEY!! WAIT! LUFFY!”

 

Ace doesn’t recall how he moved so fast

But suddenly he was standing in front of Luffy, his little brother was looking up at him in horror

Ace didn’t need to look down to know exactly what just happened

Especially when Akainu ripped the hot metal pole out of him

Ace felt his insides shifting with the tug

The blind searing pain was something Ace had never imagined was possible

Ace could hear yelling behind him

But the rushing sound in his ears blocked it all as he fell to his knees

_He couldn’t feel his legs anymore_

Ace grunted as he fell into Luffy’s arms

“I’m sorry, Luffy” whispered Ace, allowing his body to drape over Luffy’s

“Ace! Your wounds need treating!” yelled Luffy

Figures he could hear Luffy over the rushing noise

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to save me, Luffy”

It didn’t take a doctor to know this was the end

Ace could feel himself slowly shutting down

How odd, he didn’t think it was like falling asleep

“What are you saying?!” yelled Luffy “GET HIM A DOCTOR!! PLEASE!! SOMEBODY!! HELP ACE!”

_Shh Luffy, it’s okay_

“It’s no use, I know I’m dying!” it was hurting so much just to talk, his lungs struggling for every breath “My cuts have been burned out, I’m not going to last long”

Ace struggled to take a breath

He just wanted to sleep

_A little longer_

“Listen to me, Luffy”

“What are you saying?! ARE YOU GONNA DIE, ACE? Y-YOU PROMISED ME, REMEMBER?!”

_Please don’t bring us such an old promise Luffy_

Please

Not now

“YOU SAID YOU’D NEVER DIE!! ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU TOLD ME, ACE?!”

“Yeah, it reminds me of Sabo. If I didn’t have a little brother that needed to be taken care of, I wouldn’t of given up then”

When Sabo died, Ace nearly threw himself off the cliff into the ocean

_He had never told anyone that_

Then every night for a year he would wake up deciding that today was the day that he would finally kill himself

And every single day he would find Luffy to affirm to himself that he needed to stay alive for him

_What if Roger had a kid? Off with his head, I say!_

“Nobody wanted me. It couldn’t be helped”

_What say we shove a needle in that kid for every person who hates Roger!_

_Let’s burn him at the stake! Right before he dies, the whole world will laugh!_

_Haha! Serves him right!_

_I want his last words to be ‘I’m sorry for being born the trash I am!’_

“I know, when you see Dadan again…please give her my regards. Dying makes me…nostalgic…even for Dadan”

Ace took another breath

“But there’s one thing I’ve left undone…I wasn’t able to see your dream through the end. But you…I know you can do it…You’re my little brother! Just like how I swore back then…I have no regrets!”

“Liar! You’re lying!!”

“I…I’m not lying! What I really wanted…wasn’t fame… All I wanted was to know…whether or not I should’ve been born.”

Urgh, this hurt so much, _talking hurt so much_

“…I can’t even shout anymore…” it hurt, it hurt so much “Luffy, listen to my next words carefully. Tell everybody what I say to you…”

“Pops! Fellow gang members! And…Luffy”

Just a little more

_Just a little more, please_

“I’ve always been such a hopeless person…I was the demon spawn….the son of the devil!”

_Please_

“Thank you…for loving me”

With the last ounce of energy he had, Ace forced himself to smile

And allowed himself to finally sleep

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright!  
> So, next chapter, we’re going to go see what’s going on/happening/will happen from another point of view because I could only do it from Ace’s in this chapter!  
> The next chapter won’t be a play by play though like this though! So I don’t think I’ll be able to come close to matching this monster of a chapter! Anywho, sorry again so so much about missing last week! If ever I don’t update, please feel free to check my twitter @joseethefirst to see what’s going on! I will post what’s going on around 7pm EST when it’s around the usual time I update!


	96. -SMOKER- If Only I Had Given Us More Time (Maybe Just A Moment More)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you have asked for Smoker's POV and I had to admit, I cackled every time since this had been planned from the get-go! 
> 
> WOW! There was so much reactions for the last chapter! It makes all the hard work really worth! Thank you all so much! 
> 
> Posting it a little early because I'm seeing the live-action Gintama movie tonight so I need to get ready! 
> 
> WARNING; Mention of animal cruelty - it's super quick but I just wanted to warn for it

 

 

 

_It had all started with a bench_

When he thought back at it, it almost seemed absurd

In a new town where he had just moved to, now it’s new police chief, he figured that he should do some rounds

And during those rounds, Smoker found a sleeping man on a bench

At first, he assumed it was probably a homeless youth or a runaway; he was ready to wake the other up and bring him to a shelter

But after a few moments of trying to wake up the rather striking looking young man, he realized that he was unable to and was ready to call 911

And then he noticed the medical alert bracelet

He did a quick check and lo and behold – he was narcoleptic

And apparently named Ace

And he had the most beautiful dark brown eyes that appeared usually black until the light got in them just right

But he would only find that out later

Smoker didn’t know what he had done to be punished like this; a man that was exactly his type with a beautiful smile, a voice that soothed him, a warm infectious laugh and of course, _too young_

Shamefully, that night he had masturbated to Ace, unable to stop himself and the thoughts that had flooded his mind

He had lied that night as well, telling Ace that he had been transferred to Goa, not that he had requested the transfer

Maybe starting everything off with a lie was his punishment for what was happening now?

 

“ _There will be no do-overs if we fuck up here_ ” lectured Smoker

He was sitting in an armored carrier, parked on the edge of Gray Terminal at a pre-determined spot, wanting for their contact

Most of the Goa police department was there, dressed in riot gear and ready to go

“Even though we’re here as a rescue mission; we’re still police officers and will therefore act like one. If you must engage in combat, assure that it’s not with a World Government agent because legally it will be considered treason. Only and only engage with gang members unless you’re being attacked, understood?”

There was a loud ‘yes sir’ echoing all over the transport before a small knock on the door got their attention

“Captain?”

Smoker leaned over and unlatched the door and Rosinante stuck his head in

“Hey! I opened the barricade so feel free to drive right in – most, if not all of the soldiers have gathered around the scaffold anyways. Feel free to infiltrate whenever you want. Ace’s execution is set for 8pm, so please, act before that” begged Rosinante

Smoker frowned; he couldn’t miss the strain of Rosinante’s voice

And the fact that he was carrying Ace’s ugly ass bag

“Why do you have that?” asked Smoker, pointing to the bag

Rosinante looked at him, blinking owlishly and then chuckled

“Ah! Well, I made Sengoku demand to Teach that when he handed Ace over that he also handed over all of Ace’s possessions! I made up some excuse about ‘sentimental value to the family’ or whatever but really I just wanted to have Ace’s gloves. He’s going to need a mean to defend himself when he escapes; I fueled them up and everything!”

_Smoker blinked, slightly surprised_

He hadn’t thought of that!

“Ah, and you’re going to get that to him how?”

“Easy” started Rosinante “I’m going to hide on the scaffold’s lower foundation so I can just throw it at him”

“And that sons of yours?”

_Law was going to be an issue for Rosinante if he hadn’t tracked down that damn brat_

“I found him, he’s on standby for medical intervention for Luffy”

“Luffy?!” howled Smoker

_Why was Ace’s damn brother intervening again?!_

“You really think that Luffy isn’t coming?” asked Rosinante, giving that damn ‘are you an idiot’ look that he thinks he doesn’t do

_That bastard_

“Fair point. Alright, now get lost before they realize you’re double crossing them”

Rosinante only laughed as he scurried away

Only to trip over a garbage can and fall over

Honestly, between him and Tashigi, he’s not sure who he spends more time giving first aid to

 

_Of course Ace had been not only in a gang, but a Whitebeard specifically_

Ace had been aggressively flirting with him, making a small part of his mind start to believe that the fantasies that he had about the brat could somehow come true

But Smoker wasn’t a fool

He was sure he was being tricked so he decided to confront the other about it

Only to have Ace upfront admit that he had no cards up his sleeves

_That he was genuinely attracted to Smoker_

It was something that he never thought would be possible in a million years

But the more that fate threw him and Ace together, the more that his past came crashing down on him

First seeing Stefan again, the dog that had been merely a newborn pup the last time he saw him, oddly enough, he had been in his mother’s arms at the time

_How the hell was it still alive?_

So he kept pushing Ace away, dissuading him at every turn because he couldn’t dissuade himself

But when Ace asked him point blank to turn him down, Smoker hadn’t been able to

 

So he had asked Hina for advice, something he loathed doing

And _of course_ Hina told him to go for it

_“When was the last time you genuinely liked someone? What’s the harm? Go for it”_

He had told her no

So she exposed him to Ace

Putting him in that position, Smoker had decided to test Ace, have him take care of the one thing he loved the most in the world; Justice

Justice had been his constant companion for the last eight years, he had trained her as a puppy when he was home from his military tours and she had become his partner once he officially joined the force

Smoker didn’t have any biological children, but he had Justice and to him, that was the same

So when she instantly adored Ace, _Smoker knew he was fucked_

His perfectly built wall was crumbling, little by little

And then Ace pecked his cheek that one night and the wall started to collapse

So he caved and kissed Ace deeply

Looking back, maybe he should have resisted, not succumbed to a moment of weakness

But in that moment, Smoker was tired of hiding how he was feeling from himself and he decided that instead he’d hide how he felt about Ace from the rest of the world, not wanting it to be taken from him – _like a starving dog with a bone_

But Smoker wasn’t a fool; he knew that he couldn’t hide it

Clouds can only hide the sun for so long

Sabo had terrified him more than Smoker ever cared to admit and Luffy didn’t recognize him

But he didn’t care, because Ace was worth every single moment of it

 

Carefully and as quietly as a hoard of uniformed cops could be, they advanced towards the soon to be battlefield

It was hard to miss the voice on the loudspeaker

_“-_ _cution of this man, Ace D. Portgas is a matter of enormous import! You might have been wondering why were are making such an official and public execution of a mere thug on the Most Wanted list, but all of this will be made clear very soon_ ”

Smoker grunted, annoyed

Of course they were broadcasting this

Showing the great ‘victory’ of the World Government to the world, _typical bullshit_

Smoker didn’t regret getting kicked out for one solid minute

“Ace… _What is your father’s nam_ e?”

Smoker stopped walking, causing Tashigi to crash right into his back

“Sir?”

“ _Those bastards!”_ growled Smoker as he took off running towards the main square

 

A single receipt found on a drunken Ace that night opened a whole other can of worm

If Smoker always mentally told himself that he had a stone fortress surrounding him – Ace had a multi-layered metal vault

Having grown up in Loguetown, it wasn’t hard for him to be fascinated with Roger D. Gol,

But the man having been his father’s drinking buddy was a whole other story

He had lied to Ace that one time as well, Roger hadn’t just come over that one time – he had seen the man at his house a few times

Well, he hadn’t lied per say _– he hadn’t really remembered until later down the line_

Usually he’d be drinking out in the garden under the cherry blossom trees with his father

His mother would tell Smoker to leave the two alone, that they had a lot of catching up to do – but Smoker hadn’t known who he was

But now, he felt like such a fool

 

“ _She bought your life at the cost of her own”_

Smoker now had sights on the main square, massive screens all over the place, livestreaming the main events

Ace looked like absolute shit – just like Rosinante had reported

He needed to get him out; _he needed to let him escape_

The screen’s footage shifted and now was showing a picture of Rouge

Now that he really looked at her, there were two things he knew he couldn’t deny

One; Ace was really her splitting image

He had gotten his body shape from his father and his colouring for sure – but other than that, Ace looked so so much like her

_And also that now he knows for sure that he had met her_

The last time he had seen Roger over at his house, she had been there as well

She had spoken to him; he remembered her being very kind

It wasn’t often that a guest wanted to chat with the host’s 13 year old son

But she had, wanting to know about more about him and she had asked him if he liked kids

Smoker had frowned back then, asking her why she was asking

She had laughed softly

_Fuck, now that he thought about it, they had the same laugh too_

And then she told him that she was going to have a baby soon and that she was hoping that they would get along

_Rouge, if only you knew_

 

_“Don’t pretend not to know!! YOUR FATHER WAS ROGER GOLD, THE KING OF THE UNDERWORLD!”_

And there was Ace’s biggest secret, out in the open

_“But we weren’t the only ones who learned the truth. Whitebeard took you in, the son of his former rival, aboard into his gang so that he could raise you to be the next King of the Underworld!”_

Smoker frowned, lifting a brow

No way that Ace was taken in to be raised to be the next King of the Underworld

If he had known anything about his father was that this was literally never an objective of him; granted he had only known that his father was Whitebeard after his mother’s loss, but it didn’t seem like him

“ _NO!”_ yelled Ace, cutting off Sengoku “ _I joined Pops to help him become the King of the Underworld!”_

_“You’re the only one who believes that. Don’t you know why we were never able to touch you? Because Whitebeard was protecting you!”_

Now _that_ sounded right

Ace looked at Sengoku shocked, not sure how to swallow the information that he was being fed

  _“But you had to be stopped! So we had to strike now before you were legally protected on your 18 th birthday when the warrant would expire! In time, your abilities would eventually allow you to lead a new generation of gangs on a reign of terror! For this reason, your execution today is necessary!”_ yelled Sengoku, looking down at Ace “ _EVEN IF IT MEANS AN ALL-OUT WAR WITH WHITEBEARD!”_

Ace looked like he didn’t know what to think about everything that was being said

 “ _SIR! SIR! I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS! THE BARRICADE AT THE PERIMETER HAS BEEN BROKEN THROUGH BY ONE OF OUR OWN ARMOURED VEHICALS! WE TRIED TO CONTACT THE DRIVER BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER!”_

A loud rumbling suddenly started as all these people ran into the main square and Smoker signaled to his troops

It was time to infiltrate the crowd

 

“ _How long has it been, Sengoku?”_

Smoker couldn’t deny the feeling of awe at the sight of Whitebeard standing on top of what looked like was the old city hall of Gray Terminal holding his bisento

Smoker reached behind him, gripping the handle of his custom made jitte, glad that he actually brought it

It wasn’t a legal weapon, but he had told everyone that they could bring whatever they were more comfortable using

To him, it was also his way to show that he’s finally accepted who he is and the decision that he made

He had mixed feelings about seeing Whitebeard

_Whitebeard was the reason he had gotten Ace_

_But also the reason why he lost him_

 

The honeymoon period ended with Justice discovering the gloves

Smoker had tried to disregard it, but cracks were forming in their new foundation

Smoker had broken down the new wall he had built to hide Ace in, deciding that he wanted Ace to be visible in his life

But he needed to let Ace in completely to do so,

So he told him about Hero, his childhood dog, the best dog he ever had

He never talked about Hero, the memory too painful, but he wanted Ace to know the important parts of his life

Ace had opened up about his mother himself

_If only he had remembered her back then_

 

Smoker had decided to finally reconcile with his father the best he could because if he wanted Ace in his life, _he needed to accept Whitebeard in Ace’s_

_Facing his past had been one of the hardest things he ever had to do_

His mother and Hero being murdered for their association with Whitebeard was a grudge that he held deep and for a long time

It was a big, festering, gash in his life

Finally, he decided to treat it – regardless of how much it stung

But Ace had made it all worth it – _him and that stupid carrot onesie of his_

 

The battle quickly erupted and Smoker found himself fighting off Whitebeards

Thankfully the ones who he had been fighting hadn’t recognized him yet

The ballistic visor that he was wearing was helping with that but honestly it was pissing Smoker more than anything

After he got the man he was fighting down, Smoker decided fuck it and ripped most of it off

_He felt suffocated_

Within moments, he went from fully wearing his riot gear to wearing his leather jacket, pants, his boots and gloves and his jitte and discarded the rest to the ground

Smoker pulled two cigars out of his jacket and lit them up, _he was done fucking around_

And then they almost fell right out of his mouth when he saw the armoured vehicle fly over his head

_What the fuck?!_

 

Smoker didn’t know what to feel when a sick, delirious Ace confessed that he was in love with him

So the next day, he poured his heart out to Ace

Admitting that he was Whitebeard – no, _Newgate’s_ son

What had happened to his mother and why he held such a grudge

And Ace had told him he was Roger’s son

For some reason, when Ace was so honest, so vulnerable and raw with him, that Smoker realized that there was no going back now

_He had fallen in love with Ace_

 

_Of course it was Luffy D. Motherfucking Monkey!_

Of course!

Smoker’s not even sure why the fuck he was even surprised anymore

He had never told Ace about his long and odd history with Luffy

_That they had actually met about a year ago_

In Loguetown, he was working as the Chief of Police there

There was a report that someone was on top of the scaffold

Smoker had been horrified at the news but kept it to himself

_What kind of disrespectful asshole would stand on top of a used execution platform?! Especially’s Roger’s!_

But then he had gotten a report that two well-known gang leaders had also been spotted; Alvida and Buggy

Smoker sighed, telling himself that he might as well go handle it

He hadn’t rushed, _didn’t see the point_

Even had time to give a little girl money as an apology for his pants eating her ice-cream

Once he got there – he saw a skinny teenager with his head in the pillory

He was soon informed that the teenager was a thug with a bounty

Smoker had shrugged; Buggy was there with a huge blade, ready to chop off the teenager’s head

_Let them kill each other_

_Honestly he stopped giving a fuck years ago_

And then Luffy yelled that he was going to be the next King of the Underworld

_And fucking smiled_

Everything after that happened so fast

Buggy got hit by lightning

Smoker had taken Luffy down but was stopped by _Dragon_ of all people

And Luffy escaped

When Smoker looked up Luffy after, he found out that he was from Goa and Smoker remembered that he had been nominated and offered a position of Police Chief in the city of Goa

At first he had refused it – _Goa was were Whitebeard was settled_

He wasn’t ready to confront his demons – _not yet_

But now, he had picked up the phone and called his superiors

“I’m transferring to Goa. I’m taking the post”

 

_How odd to think that it was because of Luffy that he wound up in Ace’s orbit_

One day, after all of this was over, he’d have to tell Ace all about it

He’s sure that Ace would get a real kick out of it

He’ll also tell him what happened in Alabasta too

Maybe he’ll confirm his suspicions that the cocky bastard he met there was Ace

 

_“DON’T COME UP HERE, LUFFY_!!” screamed Ace _“YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! YOU AND I ARE IN DIFFERENT GANGS! WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS! I HAVE MY OWN FRIENDS!! THERE’S NO PLACE FOR YOU IN THIS PART OF MY LIFE!!”_

Smoker couldn’t miss the utter desperation in Ace’s voice

_You know that isn’t going to stop him_

_“YOU THINK I’D LET MYSELF BE RESCUED BY A WEAKLING LIKE YOU?! THAT WOULD BE AN UNBEARABLE INSULT! BEAT IT, LUFFY! WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!”_

_“I’M YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!!”_ yelled back Luffy _“I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GANG RULES!!”_

Luffy’s sheer determination honestly was inspiring but Smoker needed to make sure the dumb brat didn’t get hurt – and the easiest way to do so was to stop him

_“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”_ yelled Sengoku, over the microphone _“DON’T LET A LONE ROOKIE TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BATTLEFIELD! THAT MAN IS A MENACE TO THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY! HE GREW UP WITH ACE! THEY’RE LIKE BROTHERS! AND AS FOR HIS BLOODLINE, HE’S THE SON OF DRAGON THE REVOLUTIONARY!”_

_Oh-!_

“This explains what happened in Loguetown” murmured Smoker as he kept running towards Luffy

Tashigi attempted to stop Luffy but he practically jumped over her

“GET OUT OF MY WAY TASHIGI!”

Smoker quickly grabbed his jitte and struck Luffy hard enough that it threw him backwards

“It’s you, Smokey! That’s right!”

“I’ll be the one to dispose of you!” answered Smoker sternly

If he could capture Luffy and shove him in their armoured vehicle, at least Luffy would be safe

Smoker threw some smoke bombs down, making Luffy cough and hide his face

“You’re a lot stronger than the last time we met!” yelled Luffy

Smoker couldn’t help but be surprised

_So Luffy did remember him!_

“So are you – But you can’t beat me with your abilities!” yelled Smoker, jabbing the jitte into Luffy’s throat, taking him down

“Now I know why Dragon saved you back in Loguetown!”

Smoker was about to say something but then he looked up slightly

And his eyes met with Ace’s

And saw nothing but despair

 

Smoker had been surprised when he found out about Ace’s lack of experience

Ace was someone who oozed of sexuality; he was so gorgeous and _so eager_

But so fiercely loyal and had had so much internalized self-loathing that Smoker didn’t even begin to comprehend it

Ace had a self-sacrificing nature, but it wasn’t borne from kindness but self-loathing

_He saw himself as worthless_

And not the bright shining star that he was and Smoker soon grew to realize that because they were on opposing sides of the Law, one day, he might be forced to extinguish that light

A part of him wanted to run, _wanted to leave before he got in too deep_

But then Ace showed up at his door in that blasted Halloween costume

_He never got the chance to ask Ace how he found out that he had a thing for werewolves_

After that night, there was no turning back

Ace’s enthusiasm and eagerness had been contagious

He loved openly, and Smoker, even though he would have never considered himself to be a physically affectionate person, found himself craving Ace’s touch

No, maybe until Ace, _he hadn’t realized how badly he had craved it_

Now he wanted more than anything to just push everyone out of his way

Smoke up the entire place, _set the place aflame_

Rescue Ace and hold him tight, protect him like he mentally swore to himself that he would

_But he knew it was out of his realm of possibility right now_

So he’ll keep Luffy safe for now

The boy was practically Ace’s blasted son anyways, might as well keep him safe

 

The next thing he knew, Smoker was eating dirt

Someone had kicked him so hard he went flying off

There was a giant smoke cloud around them – _how the hell did anyone even see him?!_

“HANCOCK! Do you want to be stripped of your title of Warlord too?!” yelled Smoker, in utter disbelief

_How the fuck did she kick him that hard?!_

“SILENCE! I’m too furious to hear your words!” screamed Hancock “How dare you strike and try to capture the man I love!!”

What?

_Wait_

_What?_

“YOU’LL BE PUNISHED SEVERELY FOR THAT!! I’VE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY BEFORE IN MY LIFE!! I’LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES AND FEED YOU TO THE BEASTS!”

“Hancock!” yelled Luffy happily

“Yes?” answered Hancock and Smoker could swear he heard a heart after that yes

_What the fuck was going on here?!_

They exchanged quick words and Hancock gave Luffy something and Luffy was so happy he hugged her and then ran off

“You won’t get away, Straw Hat!!” yelled Smoker, trying to run after Luffy

_Goddamnit, he needed to stop him!_

But then Hancock tried to kick him again but he managed to stop her with his jitte

Only to see that she had broken it _in half_

_His Nanashaku Jitte!!_

_That fucking bitch!!_

_His father had that made for him!_

“INSOLENT FOOL! STAND DOWN!!” demanded Hancock, bowing back so deeply that she had her head back as well “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”

“You know what happens when you interfere with the World Government!” growled Smoker, furious

“Anything I do will be forgiven!” answered Hancock, clearly not caring

Smoker tried a few times to get around Hancock, but she wasn’t budging

“You’re not gonna move aside at any cost, Hancock?”

“Of course not! I won’t let you hurt my beloved husband!”

_What_

_Wait_

_I thought_

_What_

“Husband?!” asked Smoker, completely confused

_Wasn’t the brat was going out with Trafalgar’s brat?!_

“Yes, my husband!” replied Hancock dreamily

Next thing Smoker knew, Hancock was sighing dreamingly,

“Wife? Haaa-!!”

“I don’t know if she wants to fight or not-“ murmured Smoker, completely confused

_What the hell was going on?!_

But then he spotted Luffy’s location

_He didn’t have time to waste!_

“I’ll get Straw hat!”

“I told you, you outrageous fool, that I won’t let you pass through here!” yelled Hancock, suddenly furious again

And suddenly she was attacking him again

“Hancock!! You-!!”

 

But suddenly Smoker heard a massive rumbling. He turned around and saw another round of armoured vehicles with canons came in from behind the crowd

Fuck! Those were the Pacifista Prototypes! This was going to get bad and fast!

Smoker grabbed Tashigi by her coat and threw her on the ground, taking his radio out, messaging all of his operatives

“ _Down! Down! Down!_ They’re going to shoot!”

And a loud blast was heard thought the battlefield

_Disgusting!_ _What kind of monsters shot down their own men!_

 

Strike one had been catching Ace on that raid

 Ace had owned up to it and it had appeased him

But it had brought upon anxieties and feelings that honestly Smoker didn’t need in his life

So strike two had been noted on the board

After he had overheard Ace pouring his heart out to Justice and the board was erased

Ace was trapped in his world

He had confessed to him that night that Teach made him uncomfortable and Smoker didn’t miss the fear in Ace’s voice – he wanted to protect Ace from him, instead he drove Ace straight into Teach’s grasp

Smoker had promised to protect Ace but now he felt like he had merely condemned him

 

 

Smoker looked up, the dust settling from the attack of the Pacisfistas

He took his arm off Tashigi, having kept her down

Suddenly he heard thousands of people suddenly inhaling a breath in shock and Smoker looked up

Only to see Squardo stab his Newgate

_And Smoker suddenly felt like a teenager again_

Coming home from a sleepover, excited to tell him mom everything that had happened and he opened the front door

_Blood_

_Blood splattered all over the entrance way_

_The first thing he saw was Hero, lying on the ground, covered in bullet holes_

_Horrified, Smoker kept walking in and found his mother’s mutilated body in the living room_

_Not again_

_Not again_

_Not again_

Smoker fought the bile threatening to come out

His heart was pounding, his breathing was getting haggard, he was sweating bullets, feeling claustrophobic in his jacket

Not now! It wasn’t time for a flashback!

_This wasn’t the time!_

“Sir! Sir! Sir!” yelled Tashigi panicking

Damnit woman! You’re not helping!

_His mother laying there, eyes open, blood everywhere, blood_

Smoker felt hands on him, rubbing his back

“Chase. Breathe” ordered Hina, voice calm

Smoker suddenly looked up, seeing Hina crouched in front of him

_Fuck_

Smoker coughed, shaking his head – what a shitty fucking time to have an attack

But then he looked up at the scaffold and saw Ace crying

_He needed to save Ace!_

 

After the multiple Whitebeard raids and Ace’s clear signature on them, Smoker needed advice

He had begun to have nightmares that reminded him of past evens that he didn’t want

So he had called one of his oldest friends, Kuzan, for advice

 

_Mistake number one_

 

Kuzan had scared Ace witless, driven him away

Had told Smoker that he needed to get out of it before he got too emotionally attached

Before it destroyed him like his last relationship almost did

And Smoker had believed him

 

_Mistake number two_

 

In the end, a bullet had ended it all

On the night that Ace had asked him to meet his family properly

He was going to be introduced to his former superior as his grandson’s boyfriend

Smoker had broken Ace’s heart in a desperate attempt to save his own

Everything had fallen apart so fast, the nightmares that he had been having caught up to him because the reality of actually losing Ace during a gang raid was becoming a reality

Smoker couldn’t stand to see someone like Ace lose it all

Someone that he had loved – _no_

_That he loved so deeply_

But Ace merely saw himself as someone not worth his time, not that Smoker loved him so much that it was too much

He had barely survived those he had already loss

But after this, _things would be different_

He would help Ace escape

He would ask Ace for forgiveness

He isn’t sure what he’ll do about their differences and issues, but he’ll figure something out

_Because Ace was worth it_

 

And Luffy punched Garp right in the face, knocking him back

Next thing Smoker knew, he was throwing Hina and Tashigi down once more as the stage collapsed in a giant explosion

_NO ACE!_

But out of the fire jumps out Ace, holding onto Luffy

_I’ll love you_

_I’ll protect you_

_I’ll take care of you_

Smoker took out his radio

“ _Retreat now!_ Prepare an exit route for Ace! It looks like he’s heading south!”

_“And now these are my final orders as your boss! Listen carefully, Whitebeards_ ”

Smoker stopped suddenly staring at his father standing proud over the video feed

_The old man survived getting stabbed?!_

“So he’s decided that this is his gravesite, huh?” noted Hina

Smoker couldn’t stop staring at him

Then he smiled softly

Honestly, he couldn’t think of a better way for his father to go

_Protecting his children_

And suddenly he felt like such an idiot

Newgate didn’t hide the fact the fact that he was a mob boss from him to make fun of him

_He hid it from him because he knew how badly Smoker wanted to be a cop_

_He was being supportive_

_Whitebeard always protected his children_

“I guess I wasn’t an exception” mumbled Smoker as he saw Ace running away

 

_But then Ace stopped running_

_“The Whitebeard gang is a pack of cowards”_

_Akainu?!_

_“But considering who your leader is, that’s no surprise!”_

_Shut up!_

_“Whitebeard is a loser from a bygone era”_

Ace froze, turning around to face Akainu

 “ _A loser?!”_

ACE NO!

 “ _Take that back!_ _Take back what you said!”_

ACE IT’S A TRAP!

_“He said something bad about Pops!”_ answered Ace

“ _Ace!!”_ begged Luffy

_“Your real father, Roger Gold, stood in his way, making him an eternal loser who could never become the King, that’s who Whitebeard is”_ stated Akainu calmly “ _I’m only telling the truth”_

Ace stood, facing Akainu

_“You thugs call him Pops and love him and put on this farce that you’re one big happy family” continued Akainu “Even though he ruled for decades, he was still never able to become the King of the Underworld! He never achieved his dream. And in the end, one of his own idiot ‘sons’ was smooth-talked into stabbing him! And now he’s going to die to protect that same idiot! Isn’t that a failed life?”_

“ _STOP IT!”_

_“DON’T LET HIM PROVOKE YOU, ACE!! GET BACK HERE!”_ yelled Izo                     

_PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR FRIEND_

Smoker turned, about to run towards Ace, but Hina and Tashigi stopped him

“No! Stop! It’s too dangerous and you won’t make it!”

_“POPS GAVE ME A PLACE I COULD CALL HOME!!”_ yelled Ace, shaking _“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIS GREATNESS!”_

_“People who live outside of the law are worthless! You thugs don’t deserve a happy home!”_ replied Akainu “ _Whitebeard will die a loser!”_

_“WHITEBEARD IS THE GREATEST GANG BOSS IN THE WORLD!! HE CREATED THIS AGE!”_

Ace lit up his gloves, ready to destroy Akainu’s face

_“THE NAME OF THIS ERA IS WHITEBEARD!”_

There was a loud explosion

 

Smoker grunted, the bright light blinding him and was horrified to see Ace on the ground with a severely burned arm

_Did his gloves explode?!_

_“You think because you ingested an akumanomi that makes you resistant to heat that you’re getting careless, aren’t you? So did I, but mine made me resistant to heat so high that I can touch magma with my bare hands, boy”_ explained Akainu as he walked towards Ace “ _I grabbed the exit nozzle of those fancy little gloves of yours and stopped them right in their track!”_

_“My abilities are far superior to yours”_ stated Akainu as he turned to look at fire that was burning due to the explosion to his side, reaching inside of it to pull out what seemed to be a metal rod that had broken, holding it with his hand

_“Roger Gold, the King of the Underworld and Dragon the Revolutionary! How surprising that their sons are blood-brothers. You’re both criminals by blood! You’ll never be allowed to escape! You brothers won’t get past me!!”_

Akainu then smirked

Smoker saw him turn to look at Luffy

_SHIT! SHIT!_

Akainu pulled his arm back, clutching the metal rod like a javelin

_“Just watch”_

_“HEY!! WAIT! LUFFY!”_

 

The next thing he knew, the metal pole was through Ace’s chest

It was projected on every screen but Smoker could see it clearly from his location

And Smoker’s blood ran cold

_No_

_No_

_NO!_

Ace fell to his knees in Luffy’s arms

Multiple people jumped on Akainu, beating him down

Ace clung to Luffy the best he could

Smoker could see his lips moving

He was talking

_He was alive?!_

But then Ace smiled

And he went limp

And a blood curling scream of despair

_Ace was dead_

_They had failed_

_He had failed_

 

Out of nowhere, Whitebeard was suddenly all over Akainu, beating the living shit out of him

Smoker watched quietly, not even sure what he was feeling right now

_Luffy_

Luffy, he needed to save L-

Luffy was gone?

_Good_

W-

To Smoker’s horror, he saw who finally showed up at the battle, none other than Teach

_That son of a bitch!_

“Sir?” asked Tashigi quietly, not sure what to do right now

Smoker turned around, furious

_“I TOLD YOU TO RETREAT!”_

“I’m not leaving you here, sir!” yelled Tashigi back, grabbing Smoker’s arm “I’m afraid you’re going to do something foolish!”

“I’m with her” replied Hina, grabbing Smoker’s other arm

 

The sound of the gunfire was thunderous

_Had they-!_

Smoker didn’t even know how to start counting; they had literally filled his father full of holes

Whitebeard was saying something, but Smoker right now couldn’t hear it, his mind going in all places

But what he did hear was clear as day

_“THE ONE PIECE DOES EXIST”_

_That son of a bitch_

Just had to get the last word, didn’t he?

But…Smoker had to admit _, there was no better way for his father to go_

Smoker wasn’t a religious man, but he closed his eyes and gave the man who sired him, who raised him the best he could, a moment of silence

“Tashigi! We have to go, _now_!” ordered Smoker but was soon enough finding himself fighting people off

_What the fuck was going on?!_

_He was being attacked by World Government agents!_

_Something’s wrong! This isn’t justice! This victory has only whetted their appetite!_

_This raid had become a genuine bloodbath_

There were dead and bloodied soldiers and gang members everywhere and there was no way to treat or remove them from the battlefield since nobody wanted to let up

_This had truly become No Man’s Land_

Ace was dead! Newgate was dead! _Wasn’t that fucking enough?!_

“LET’S STOP THIS! STOP FIGHTING! IT’S A WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE!  WE’VE ACHIEVED OUR OBJECTIVE! WE’VE BROKEN THE GANG’S POWER! SO WHY ARE WE CHASING THEM?! IT’S NOT NECESSARY!! THIS IS PURE BLOODLUST! SOME OF THE WOUNDED CAN BE SAVED IF THEY’RE TREATED RIGHT AWAY! BUT WE’RE CONSIGNING THEM TO DEATH AND CREATING MORE CASUALTIES TO BOOT! THE SOLDIERS WHO DIE FROM HERE ON ARE…ARE… THEY’RE JUST…JUST… THEY’RE FOOLS WHO WILL DIE FOR NOTHING!”

Smoker’s jaw dropped when he saw who was yelling

_WAS THAT THEIR RECEPTIONIST COBY?!_

Why was that son of a bitch in a World Government Un- _HE HAD A FUCKING PLANT IN HIS OWN DEPARTMENT?!_

Smoker was suddenly shaking with rage – _he was going to throttle that little shrimp when he came in for his shift tomorrow!!_

Akainu jumped in, about to hurt Coby when suddenly he was stopped

 

_It was Red Hair Shanks_

“Well done, young man” started Shanks “For better or for worse, those few seconds of courage will profoundly influence the fate of this world”

_The world?_

Smoker frowned, but then he looked around

_The livestream was still going on?!_

“I’ve come to put an end to this war” announced Shanks, picking up Luffy’s hat

Shanks suddenly threw the hat to Buggy who was escaping on the rooftops

One by one, people started to leave the battlefield

“Everyone listen, withdrawn now and allow me to save face” warned Shanks

Smoker heard Tashigi sniffle and he turned around to look at her

Lips trembling and her eyes were wetting, _this was too much for her_

Shanks then went up to Sengoku and snatched the microphone from his hands and then he slowly went up to Ace’s body

“It’s currently 12:01, meaning we’re officially January 1rst. So, if Ace is still alive, Akainu should be charged with attempted murder, am I not correct?” asked Shanks

The crowd gasped

_Ace?!_

_Still alive?!_

_How could he pos-_

Shanks dropped to one knee and put his fingers on Ace’s throat; Ben Beckam showed up, standing besides Shanks and signaled everyone to be quiet

“GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL ASAP! _HE’S ALIVE!_ HE HAS A PULSE!” announced Shanks

Smoker started to shake as tears rolled down his cheeks

_He was alive!_

Everyone moved out of the way as an ambulance drove through and paramedics jumped out and quickly prepped Ace

Smoker moved closer, needing to hear what the paramedics would say

“What?! _He’s alive?!”_ yelled Sengoku, only to be shoved aside by Garp

“He’s alive?! _My boy is alive?!”_ Garp sounded so beyond relieved

“His pulse is very weak, we’re not sure he’ll make it, but as of right now, he’s alive” assured the paramedic

“I’m going with him! I’m his grandfather!” announced Garp proudly, not caring who knew anymore

_Ace was alive!_

_Alive!_

The ambulance soon disappeared from sight, taking Ace away

“We’ll see to the burial of Whitebeard” announced Shanks, handing the microphone back to Sengoku, but his voice was still being picked up “You’ve already broadcast the battle throughout the entire world. I won’t allow you to make a spectacle of his death!”

“WHAT?! But we need to show off his severed head to celebrate our victory!” yelled one of the World Government officers

Smoker could feel the anger growing in him – _he won’t allow that!_

“I don’t mind” answered Sengoku

“ _FLEET ADMIRAL?!”_ yelled the man, confused

“That’s fine by me, ‘Red-Haired’. I’ll take responsibility”

“Thank you” answered Shanks “But now we have another issue”

“What?”

“ _Akainu’s arrest_ ” replied Shanks coolly

“ _LIKE HELL!”_ yelled Akainu, getting right in front of Shanks “You have a lot of nerves!”

“You attempted to murder a minor, last I checked, that’s illegal. But I understand there was an arrest and order of execution on any and all who shared blood with Roger D. Gol. Fine. But that warrant expired at midnight. It’s past midnight and Ace is still alive, meaning you tried to murder him” explained Shanks

“Oh yeah? _And who do you pray tell is going to arrest me?_ The World Government can’t! They wouldn’t even dare!”

Smoker froze up, growling

He had the authority as the Chief of Police of Goa to arrest him, _but he didn’t have the authority since this was technically a World Government operation_

_Fuck fuck fuck_

“OH! OH! PICK ME!”

And coming in like a real buffoon, tripping on someone who was sitting on the ground injured along the way, apologizing thirty times before he skipped over to Akainu, Rosinante smiled brightly as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and two badges

“Hello hello! My name is Rosinante Donquixote or rather Rosinante Trafalgar, Rear Admiral of the World Government and also as of midnight I’m reinstated on the Goa Police force meaning that as a Rear Admiral and a cop, I have the authority to arrest you for the attempted murder of Ace D. Gol!” explained Rosinante brightly

_“WHAT?!”_ roared Akainu, turning to Sengoku

Sengoku merely paused for a moment and sighed, defeated

“I’ll allow it. Red-Haired is right, had Portgas been executed as it was planned it would have been a different story. But he’s right, this is attempted murder and if Portgas dies now, it will be first degree murder” explained Sengoku

Rosinante let out a happy noise as he put Akainu’s wrists together and slammed down the handcuffs

_“THIS IS RIDICULOUS! WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!”_

“There’s no justice in trying to kill an innocent soul” growled Smoker as he stalked up to Akainu “Come with me, Trafalgar. I have a cruiser this way”

_“Smoker! WHY ARE YOU HERE?”_ yelled Sengoku

“ _How about you deal with the wounded._ Ambulances have been called and my men will help to transport and process the appropriate arrests if so be needed. But from the looks of it, everyone here was punished enough, _don’t you think?”_ pointed out Smoker

Sengoku frowned, nodding his head slightly

“Proceed as you will”

 

Smoker quietly led Rosinante and the furious Akainu to his police cruiser and started to drive towards the station

“Well, that was a bitter victory if you ask me” pointed out Rosinante after a while of silent and tense driving

“We’re not out of the woods yet”

_There is no way they can just arrest an Admiral like this_

_The World Government is merely going to ask to trial their own and it will be over_

“You know that the World Government will forgive this, won’t you? That I’ll merely be relocated and this will be hushed?” warned Akainu from the back

“Of course we do” started Rosinante, rolling his eyes “ _We’re not idiots._ But one thing’s for sure, you can never show your fucking face in this town again, and that’s what I wanted”

Smoker raised a brow

_That was brilliant!_

“If I can keep you away from Ace, my kids and all the other kids in this town, I’ve done my duty. There’s going to be many lost children now, and I don’t need a piece of garbage like you masquerading as their principal” explained Rosinante “And shut up back there, or I’ll fucking taze you. You’ve done enough fucking damage for one night”

Smoker exhaled

_He was really glad that Rosinante was by his side tonight_

“After we dump this asshole in solitary, how about we go to the hospital, Captain?” asked Rosinante, smiling sadly

“Yeah”

_Really glad_

_Because there was no way he was breaking down in front of this nerd_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Next week we're going to Law as usual! I hope you all enjoyed it! 
> 
> Also, uh, don't get too used to this length please! This chapter kinda uh, got away from me! BUT! We're also not going to revisit all the events again with Law, we're moving on!


	97. -LAW- The Funeral March of a Marionette (Here Be Born the Surgeon of Death)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I'm glad you all seemed to like the Smoker chapter! I'd had that trick hidden up my sleeve for so long now! Let's go see Law, shall we?
> 
> EDIT (02-01-18): I confess I edited this chapter quickly because my health took another dive (SIGH) but thank you to Zamia for pointing out the typos! They've been fixed!

 

 

 

If Law thought the sewers smelled bad before – _they smelled worst with thousands of men hiding in them with him_

By some miracle, he wasn’t spotted by the thousands of people who suddenly showed up in the sewers, apparently waiting for some sort of signal and then they had suddenly all erupted out into the battlefield, leaving Law alone

_Thank god_

Law decided to watch the stream on his phone while he hid

He had heard the yelling, the chaos and everything happening up above

He had heard the world being told of Ace’s lineage, of Luffy’s

Heard everything else going on, but it was killing him that he didn’t know what was happening to Luffy except for bits and pieces when the camera decided to follow him

And he was killing his phone battery by trying to watch the footage, turning it off when that stupid clown took over the feed

Law pulled out his phone and looked at it, re-reading the message he had sent to his crew

They were to hide in the van at the edge of Gray Terminal right by the forest and be ready at a moment’s notice

While walking around the forest with Luffy, Law had spotted a path in the forest that was wide enough for the van

When he had asked Luffy about how come this path was wider than the others, Luffy merely mentioned that apparently long ago, horse-drawn carriage had used the path to get around, but when roads were paved, nobody saw the point to keep going through a dense forest

Or at least, that’s what Sabo had told him

Law had shrugged, Sabo was a reliable person for information and honestly today, it would have been really useful to have Sabo around

_Talk about shitty timing_

Honestly the anxiety of not really knowing what was going on upward was starting to drive him a little batty

But then his phone buzzed

Law blinked, looking at the notification and was surprised to see it was from Cora!

 

_Cora <3_

_Go east! Jinbei is running away with Luffy heading eastward, they’re being followed! QUICK!_

 

_FUCK_

Law took off running into the sewers, following the map Bepo had drawn up

Eastward would take them right about where the van was hidden, if he timed this right, he could meet up with Luffy

_Perfect!_

                                 

Law quickly popped the manhole open and ran right out of the sewers and into the street

He quickly spotted the yellow van and ran to it, banging on the van

“We have to go find Luffy! He’s heading this way!” yelled Law as he opened the back door and climbed in

“Aye aye!” yelled Bepo from the front as he turned on the van and started driving

Law quickly took out a box of body wipes and wiped himself down – he was just in the sewers and didn’t need to expose anybody to any gross shit he might have caught while being down there

The memory of one of Robin’s History lessons and this one guy who hid in the sewers and got a nasty skin infection for the rest of his life instantly came to Law’s mind

_No thanks, he had enough of one disease_

“I SEE HIM!” yelled Bepo

Law quickly made his way towards the front, slightly climbing on top of Penguin and Shachi to do, Jean Bart had been wise enough to move out of the way

“Where?!” asked Law as he looked around the streets, with no sign of them

“There” casually pointed out Bepo – but pointing above

_Above?!_

Law looked up and isn’t quite sure what he was seeing

_It was that stupid clown!_

But it looked like he was…carrying Jinbei and Luffy?

Or carrying Jinbei that was carrying Luffy?

_What?_

But from his angle, both Jinbei and Luffy were unconscious, which was a bad thing

He needed to act – _and fast!_

 

“GET STRAWHAT IN HERE!”

Buggy looked down from the rooftop he was running on at Law, confusion on his face

“STRAWHAT?! AND WHO ARE YOU, KID?!” screeched Buggy and Law winced slightly

_Man, that had to be the most annoying voice in the world_

No wonder Cora had hated dealing with him!

Law hesitated for a moment; _he didn’t need to let this jackass know that he was Luffy’s boyfriend_

_The fucker might hold Luffy hostage!_

“Strawhat guy and I may become enemies in the future, but our meeting now is the work of fate! It wouldn’t be any fun if he died here!” yelled out Law, ignoring the look of confusion he was getting from Bepo “I’ll help him escape! Leave him to me! I’m a doctor!”

_It wasn’t really a lie…just…technically one_

“Who’s this nobody?” mumbled Buggy and Law could only assume that the jackass thought he was being quiet and he wasn’t supposed to hear that

_“HURRY! Get those two in here!!”_ yelled Law, trying to get Buggy to move along

Buggy hesitated for one moment and then _literally threw Jinbei and Luffy at him_

_HOLY SHIT, THIS GUY WAS DUMB_

“ ALL RIGHT! I’ll leave the rest to you!! Whoever you are!! Good luck with that!”

_IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!_

“Catch them, Jean Bart!” ordered Bepo behind him and suddenly there he was, catching the two            

“Good! That’s it!” praised Bepo as Law turned around; the doors of the van were open wide, waiting

“Whoah, he looks terrible! Is he even alive?! Better hurry!” asked Bepo as he carried Luffy into the van, Jean Bart following in as well with Jinbei as Law waited that they were both inside to close the door

Law then looked up and his jaw dropped in horror

_Right above them was Kizaru_

Law had only known about him because Doflamingo had made a point that everyone in his gang knew who the hot shots of the World Government were and how they worked

Kizaru used a combination of flash grenades to blind people and his ability to move really quickly to take someone down

_This could get ugly and fast_

_Shit shit shit!_

“Blast!”

_“THAT’S ENOUGH!”_

 

Law’s not sure who the fuck just yelled that, but is distracted Kizaru long enough to enable Bepo to start driving away

 

Law looked up and from his angle could see the giant screens projecting what was going on

_Shanks!! It was shanks!_

“Law! I know it’s not every day that you can see one of the four gang emperors, but you have to close the door!” chided Bepo as he drove

“Aye! Wait! What’s that flying through the air?”

Law blinked, looking up and caught the item flying at them – _Luffy’s hat!_

Law held the hat tight against his chest as he closed the second door of the van

Once he turned around, his heart instantly lunged into his throat

Penguin and Shachi had finished setting up the gurneys for both Jinbei and Luffy, looking over them in utter horror

Law took a deep breath

_This is what he had been practicing for_

“Okay, find us a s-!”

Before Law could say anything, they were suddenly completely blinded

_Shit! Shit! Kizaru!_

“Don’t worry, Law! I got this!” assured Bepo as he started to drive quickly even with the flashing lights “I memorised the road! We’ll be in the forest within minutes and then it’ll be too dense for him to follow!”

_Good old Bepo!_

But Law knew he couldn’t do any work on Luffy or Jinbei while the car was rocking like this, well, _nothing too major_

For now, he needed to stabilize them

 

Once they were deep enough in the forest, Law had unceremoniously kicked them all out

_He needed to be alone_

Law had scrubbed up and sterilized where he’d be working

He started with Jinbei

Jinbei had been easy enough to stabilize and he didn’t need any real invasive medical intervention minus the massive burn – but Law wasn’t even sure he could treat it because he needed blood

Law grit his teeth, looking towards his portable fridge that he kept, regretting that he didn’t have any blood bags in it – but then he blinked, surprised

_Why was there a post-it on it?_

Law turned and went up to the post-it, reading it

“Thought you might need this but wasn’t sure what you’d need, so I got you some of each? Cora? What?”

Law opened the door and was shocked to see that it was filled with blood bags

Cora had gotten his blood bags?!

_HOW WAS THIS EVEN REMOTELY LEGAL?_

_How was this- HOW DID HE?_

_Nevermind_

Law grinned, now that he had blood bags, he should be able to treat them both with more ease now! It would take him a bit to determine their blood types, but nothing he couldn’t handle!

_Alright, time to get to work_

Jinbei was now fixed up and stabilized – thankfully the odd burn-slash-stab would had missed all vital organs, so Jinbei should be fine and up-and-up soon enough, but Luffy, _Luffy was going to be a whole other can of worms_

Law had stabilized him, but the injuries were immense

Luffy had severe bruising, signs of poisoning, mild and severe burns, physical exhaustion, severe dehydration, puncture and stab wounds, his vitals were going nuts, clear signs of internal bleeding, bullet grazing all over, there had been some constriction to his throat, a deep stab wound in his shoulder, a shallow gunshot wound, and of course the severe burn on his chest that looked like a massive ‘x’

And the mental break

Law scrubbed up and got to work

He carefully cut off Luffy’s clothing, mentally rather annoyed that the first time he saw his boyfriend naked was in these circumstances

He prepped all the tools and equipment that he’d need, mentally going through the multiple surgeries that he’ll need to do in his mind of everything he’d need to do

Step by step

Law took a deep breath, _he needed to calm down_

But just enough for him to not chicken out – he had practiced on Cora for exactly this reason, to be able to actually do it when the time came on someone he loved

Law suddenly felt every hair on his body raise up

His ability had kicked in, he was ready

It was time for Law to become the surgeon he had always wanted to be

_Luffy, please, have faith in me_

 

Law wiped his hands, inhaling sharply

He had done all that he could

Luffy looked stable enough, his stats were good too, but what came next was out of Law’s hands, it was all Luffy

But before Law could relax, he was hearing some sort of ruckus outside

_The hell?_

Opening the van doors as he kept cleaning his hands, he was surprised to see Hancock yelling at Bepo

Who bowed his head down, apologizing?

_Bepo, no!_

“LAW!” cried Bepo happily

“I did everything I could” started Law honestly “He’s survived the surgery, at least. But his body’s taken a huge amount of accumulated damage”

Law inhaled sharply, trying to push the words out that he was dreading

“I can’t guarantee that he’ll survive”

While he was in the zone, it was easy for Law to push away his emotions

Concentrate on the surgery, on what you have to do

But now that he was out, _it was all that he could think of_

_Luffy might die_

“OF COURSE YOU CAN’T! WAA-HOO!!”

Law jumped slightly, looking over to see…he’s not sure what he was seeing, on top of a World Government armoured vehicle

_What the fuck?!_

“Who are they!?” asked Bepo, shocked

“He’s the reason Strawhat was able to escape” yelled out many voices from inside the carrier

“It’s the prisoners from Impel Down. So they’re on Luffy’s side” explained Hancock “They stowed away on this carrier”

“We’re going to the Kamabakka Queendom! The place we’ve all dreamed of!” said the people inside

_Was he supposed to know what that was?_

The one that had yelled earlier now jumped off the carrier and walked up to Law

_Oh, this is what the Rocky Horror thing Luffy messaged him about was_

“Hello! Call me Ivankov! Straw hat boy could barely stand back at Impel Down! I’m amazed he was able to wreak so much havoc!! And it was all to save the life of his brother Ace!” Ivankov then paused before they continued “But Ace died right before his eyes…There’s no justice in this world! It’s no wonder his mind and spirit were crushed under the weight of it all!”

_Ace died?_

Law gave that a moment to sink in

_They had failed_

_Luffy had failed_

“Come on, Strawhat! You can do it!!” yelled one of the prisoners, popping up from the opened top hatch of the carrier

“YOU CAN DO IT!!”

“What a tragedy! If I could…I’d take his place! My poor Luffy” lamented Hancock

Law frowned sharply

_He could arrange that_

“By the way, who are you?” asked Ivankov, staring right at Law “Straw hat boy’s friend?”

Well, _sorta_ , just move the apostrophe‘s’

“No” answered Law quickly, _he didn’t know this person_ , so he was going to keep as much info away as possible “I didn’t have to help him. If you’re worried about my motives, I could come up with a reason”

“No thanks! There are times when people act instinctively” replied Ivankov, crossing their arms to form an ‘x’

_“HEY WAIT!”_

Law turned around to see Jinbei coming out of the van, holding onto his stomach

“You’re Law Trafalgar, aren’t you? Thank you for saving my life”

_How did Jinbei know about him?_

“Stay in bed or you’ll die” warned Law, not happy that his work is getting messed with

“I can’t. I’ve lost something much too important this time…” Jinbei inhaled sharply, clearly struggling to breathe properly “And Luffy’s suffering cannot even be imagined. He lost consciousness on the spot as a kind of defense mechanism. His life may be saved but I worry about him when he wakes up”

“ _Beast!_ Do you have a cellphone?” asked Hancock, looking right at Bepo

“Yeah?” replied Bepo but then he froze up “I-I MEAN, YES, I DO, MA’AM”

“Lucky him! He’s like Hancock’s servant!” whined Penguin

_GUYS! C’MON NOW!_

“I can have my cars take your van safely back into Goa. If the government find out where Luffy is, they’ll send someone after him. I’ll give him shelter at the Kuja estate. As long as I’m part of the Warlord program, he can recuperate in peace” offered Hancock

Law paused for a moment, mulling the information over in his head

He didn’t want to leave Luffy in Hancock’s care because _fuck that bitch_

_But she was right_ – it would be the safest place for Luffy right now and he needed it to recuperate

“Alright, let’s go, the more stable I can get him, the better. But I want to be the one in charge of his medical treatment”

Hancock huffed, hesitating for a moment but then she sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes

_“Fine”_

Law nodded as everyone got back in their respective vehicles and drove away

 

During the ride to the Kuja estate, Law sat in the back by Luffy’s side, watching his over and his vitals

“You lied”

Law looked up at Jinbei, who even though was laying on his back in the gurney, had his eyes on Law

“What are you talking about?”

“You acted as if Luffy meant nothing to you – _that’s a lie_. You may act all tough, but your eyes say it all. You look at him like a man in love”

Law frowned, glaring at Jinbei

“My reasons are my own”

“I’m trusting his care to you. I want to know what kind of person I’m dealing with” admitted Jinbei

Law paused

“He’s my boyfriend. I am in love with him” admitted Law, his cheeks a deep scarlet colour

_God, it was so weird saying it out loud like this!_

Jinbei laughed slightly, then groaned, wincing

“Ahh, now it makes more sense”

“I would have helped him anyways!” snapped Law “It’s my duty as a doctor!”

“Boy, I’m not saying you wouldn’t. I meant the way you look at him makes more sense and it puts me at ease. I know you’ll take good care of him now” admitted Jinbei

Law paused for a moment, before speaking again

“I just hope I’m enough for him now, losing Ace…I’ve been there, I know what it’s like to lose the most important person in your life”

Law didn’t know why he was telling this total stranger everything, but right now, he just felt

_So lost_

He felt like a kid, not sure what to do

_Guess he needed an adult and took this one_

“What helped you through it?” asked Jinbei

“…Friends. I met Bepo”

_Law isn’t sure what he would have done had he not met Bepo at the hospital after he thought he had lost Cora_

“Well, that may be what Luffy will need now to keep him going as well”

Law smiled softly to himself

_Maybe he would be enough_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! Now we're gonna go catch-up with everyone in Cora's chapter! It's so weird to be able to see the end in sight, not gonna lie


	98. -CORAZON- Charging At the Windmill (My Weary Bones Need Salvation - And Coffee)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much needed updates that many of you have asked for!

 

 

“ _Trafalgar, if you ask me one more goddamn fucking time how I’m doing, I’m going to shove this stapler so far down your throat you’ll be able to staple paperwork together with your ass for a month!“_

Subtlety was never Smoker’s strong point

Even though Cora knew that the other wanted badly to rush to the hospital, there were priorities in place and paperwork that needed to be done before the Captain could leave the station

_You can’t just arrest an admiral and throw him in jail and call it a day_

Frankly Cora felt that they could just shove the bastard in the isolation cell and let him rot there forever, but maybe he was a being a wee bit vindictive

_Maybe_

Honestly he was getting antsy himself, not just about Ace, but because he kept texting and trying to call Law and Bepo and it kept going right to voicemail

_Goddamnit!_

Bellemere walked into the station and chucked off her coat, looking tired as hell as she collapsed in her seat

“Hey! How are you doing? Did you find Nami?” asked Cora

He knew that Bellemere had been out trying to find out what the hell had happened to her daughter the moment that Smoker and Cora had arrived earlier

Cora felt like a jerk since someone had to stay at the station when the Captain left and Bellemere had been trying to find her daughter while trying to hold down the station herself

“Yeah, but what a mess! Apparently, she got basically kidnapped and shoved in an isolated flight and they dumped her on this small observation island that’s restricted! She was pretty mad when she woke up and had a really hard time getting someone to help her!” explained Bellemere, running a hand through her hair “The worst part is that she’s stuck there for another two goddamn weeks since that’s when the supply ship comes in! And when it does, I had to argue with them to agree to bring Nami back to the mainland and from there she’ll fly home”

“Whoah, what a mess” Cora wished he could be shocked that the World Government had kidnapped the kids, but at this point, _he really wasn’t_

“It’s just, such a mess. And I contacted the other parents, well, as much as I could really. Zoro was put on an island that’s owned by his father, so he’s fine. Apparently Perona was there though vacationing and didn’t appreciate him suddenly showing up. Especially since he’s apparently rather injured! I left a message on Mihawk’s machine but considering he was at the battle, who knows when he’ll get it. Chopper wound up on some tropical island, as did Usopp! I haven’t been able to track down Sanji yet, but Zeff didn’t seem too worried, just furious at the World Government”

Cora snorted – _he wouldn’t be surprised at the sudden return of the gang boss Red Leg Zeff after this fiasco_

“Nami said that they were vacationing with a few friends too. It seems that the other kids their ages were still at the resort and are making their way home now but Miss Robin Nico, Brook and Franky were also kidnapped. But I’m not even sure how to begin to track those two down, so I’m hoping that when the kids come back, that they do too, safe and sound” finished Bellemere, exhaling “And I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened with Ace. What a mess, this was easily the worst scenario possible. The poor kid, I’m glad that there’s a chance that Ace is still alive, otherwise it would destroy Luffy. Speaking of, has anybody found him?”

Cora groaned, rubbing the back of his neck

“I’ve been trying to contact Law and Bepo but I keep going right to voicemail and it looks like they haven’t seen my messages either”

“Any idea why?” asked Bellemere, worried

“Honestly? Their phones are probably dead. But I know that Luffy’s in Law’s hands. I saw them on the big screen, it clearly showed them getting away with Luffy and Jinbei, and so I trust that they’re safe. So at least I can relax a bit”

Bellemere snorted, playfully punching Cora’s shoulder

_“For how long?”_

“Wait until I stop mentally freaking out about Ace, then I’ll freak out about my lost children” admitted Cora

Bellemere laughed and then looked around

“Speaking of Ace, where did the Captain go?”

Before Cora could answer, he heard very angry honking coming from outside

“OH SHIT, THE CAPTAIN’S WAITING FOR ME!” yelled Cora, turning around and running into a desk

“Get out there! _He’s going to kill you!”_

 

_“So where the fuck were you tonight?”_ grunted Smoker, crossing his arms as he sat in the passenger seat, smoking two cigars

Cora sighed; _he knew Smoker was going to ask that_

“ I purposely stayed out of sight and did as much as I could behind the lines. My brother was out there and frankly I didn’t want to give him the opening he needed to come after me and then pass it off like an ‘accident’ after the matter. Thankfully, his ex showed up and distracted the hell out of him!”

Smoker suddenly choked on his cigars, shocked

_“That piece of shit has an ex?!”_

Cora laughed softly, shaking his head

“No, not really his ex, but I keep calling him that because it’s funny. Basically I don’t know the real backstory between Doffy and Sir Crocodile except that Doffy was always obsessed with getting him to join up with him. Crocodile kept turning him down and never nicely either! And usually Doffy would kill anyone who would do that – but not Crocodile! So Doffy kept chasing after him for years! Trying over and over again to get him to join” explained Cora

“So basically he’s a child who’s mad since he got told no so he’s being relentless”

Cora laughed harder as he kept driving

“Pretty much!  So it saved my ass! I was able to get the bag to Ace when he jumped off, was able to rescue some injured people as well, so I feel I did a lot, just wish I could have done more”

_“You and me both”_

 

Finally they arrive at the hospital for what seemed to be the longest drive _ever_

Cora insisted that Smoker gets off and he’ll go park the car. Smoker was getting irritated as hell and Cora figured it would be better if he just went in to find out how Ace is doing. But once inside, Cora found Smoker mouthing off and yelling at the receptionist who was refusing to help him if he ‘didn’t change his tone and throw out those cigars’

_Yikes_

Cora went up and had Smoker sit down and calm down, offering to get the info himself. After he approached the receptionist himself and asked if they had a status update on Ace’s condition

Only to be informed that he was still in surgery

_Yikes_

Coras’ not sure how long they waited but suddenly a doctor came out of the ER, wearing filthy scrubs and Cora’s jaw dropped

He had only seen old wanted pictures of him – _but he knew who this man was without a doubt_

“D-Dr Crocus?!” asked Cora, standing up, shocked “I-I thought you weren’t practicing anymore! I thought-“

Cora never thought he’d see the day where he’d meet so many living legends!

Crocus lifted a brow, pulling down his mask and bandana, revealing his odd hairstyle

“I’m not. But an old gang member of mine called and asked for a favour. How can I say no when it’s Roger’s son who needed the help? I owe my old boss’ that much at least” explained Crocus, cracking his neck

Out from behind Crocus stormed up Garp, coming out from the other waiting area

“So?! _Out with it!_ Did you save Ace?! Don’t tell me that the man that kept Roger’s disease at bay wasn’t able to save him!” yelled Garp

Cora groaned, _the receptionist was going to yell at them for yelling_!

“I warn you to caution projecting what you failed to do unto me!” barked Crocus, making Garp back down

_He looked like a dog who just got punished honestly_

_Good!_

“And also, Ace’s condition is severe. From what I can tell, it’s a severe T2-T3 injury and also many organs were touched during the impact and he has severe third degree burns, especially on his right arm” explained Crocus, sighing, looking a little discouraged

“What the hell does T2-T3 mean?! Speak a language we can all understand, man!” yelled Garp, clearly shaking

_Wait, he knew this-_

“Isn’t the mid-back part of the spine?” asked Cora cautiously

Garp looked at him completely stunned

“ _How the hell do you know that?!”_

“ _Unlike some of us_ , I’m a good parent and I look through my son’s books” Cora knows that he was hitting below the belt with his comment, _but he was mad damnit!_

_He was hungry, tired and this poor kid is seriously hurt due to some bullshit reason!_

“Does that mean that Ace is going to be paralysed?”

Cora turned around, looking at Smoker surprised; apparently he had been listening quietly

“I don’t doubt it. We won’t know for sure until he wakes up _, if_ he wakes up that is” started Crocus “His spine was severed but the biggest issue is the shock on the system. His lower respiratory track and circulatory system were hit pretty hard and he –“ Crocus then paused and turned to look right at Garp

“Let me dumb it down for you. He got stabbed through the chest by a hot metal rod and it went out his back. Also he was malnourished, beaten severely before hand as well. Also I’m seeing traces of the measles rash, did you have that boy vaccinated?!”

_Measles?!_

Cora paused, scratching his cheek

_Oooh, that must be because of Teach_

Garp huffed, frowning

“The boys don’t need that stuff, they’re strong”

_Dumbass!_

“Alright, _you’re an idiot._ Anyways, he’s now in a medically induced coma right now so he can sleep through the worst of the pain but there’s no guarantee that he’ll ever come out of it. And if he lives, he’ll never be how he used to be for sure”

“If he lives, that’s what matters. The rest can be dealt with” stated Smoker from his seat

Cora smiled softly, happy to hear that

“So…when will you know if he’ll live?” asked Garp quietly

Crocus merely shrugged

“We’ll know if he wakes up, simple as that. Right now he’s stable, but he needs tissue transplants for a skin graft for his arm and chest”

Garp merely nodded, gesturing to himself

“Fine, take my skin”

Crocus snorted

“I don’t need your old leathering skin, you idiot! I need young skin!”

Cora paused, about to offer himself, but then he stopped, knowing that with his recent heart transplant they probably won’t accept him

But before he could say anything, the doors of the waiting room slammed open

“ _Take my skin!_ If it’s for Ace, take mine! He’s my brother! _Please!”_

Cora blinked, watching Sabo and Koala run up to the doctor

“Please, doctor, please” pleaded Sabo, desperation in his voice

Crocus nods, smiling as he gestured towards the ER

“C’mon, let’s go right now” said Crocus as Sabo went with him

“I’m coming!” yelled Garp as he tagged along behind them

 

Koala sighed relieved, holding onto Sabo’s top hate, as the three of them disappeared

“I’m so happy that Sabo could do something like this for Ace. He felt so horribly guilty for not being there for Ace when it all went down”

Cora’s heart broke, _it must have been so hard on Sabo to find out all of this was happening_

Moments later, Garp emerged from the waiting room, apparently being shooed out by a nurse. He walked up to a chair and collapsed into it and cradled his face between his hands

Cora paused, about to say something when the doors of the waiting room opened again and Dadan came storming in

_Oh good! Someone’s here for Garp!_

“Ah, she has her branch” notes Smoker from his seat

Cora blinked; she did have a rather large branch in her hand

_What the hell was that f-_

“WAIT! DON’T!” yelled someone when suddenly Dadan parked herself right in front of Garp

“YOU HAVE SOME NERVE COMING HERE!!”

And she hit him right across the face with the branch, sending him flying out of the chair

_Holy shit!_

Garp sat up from the ground, his face bleeding, gesturing to the security guards running up to them to stand back

“Stand back, she’s an acquaintance of mine”

Dadan then jumped on him, shaking him by the lapel as she yelled and then started to pummel him with hits

“ _You were at the battle!!_ They were _right in front of you_! How could you stand there and do nothing to save Ace! _Your job always came before your family!_ Isn’t that right, Garp?! Hero of the Navy, my ass! Go to hell, _you worthless old bastard_!” yelled Dadan and she kept on her onslaught and Garp merely let her

“Dadan!! Stop!”

Cora turned and saw Makino run up to them – Ah! She must have been the first person who yelled to wait!

“Those two were within his reach, but he couldn’t save them!! Don’t you see? Garp is hurting more than anyone!” argued Makino

“Wrong!” yelled Dadan, letting go of Garp, letting him drop to the ground but still stood above Garp “Luffy is the one hurting the most! Don’t you know how much he looked up to his brother?!”

Makino let out a loud sob and Koala quickly hugged her, pulling her in tight

“What happened to Luffy anyways?” asked Koala quietly

“He fled in a yellow van. They didn’t find his body so I’m sure he’s alive somewhere” explained Garp from the ground, rubbing his head

Cora bit his lip, feeling a little guilty – it didn’t look like Garp knew that he was with Law

But he did feel Smoker’s eyes on him – the other probably suspected as much as well

“No matter what kind of thug that idiot Luffy becomes, I’ll be on his side!  He must be suffering terribly! It breaks my heart to think about it!” declares Dadan, pulling out her cellphone and called Luffy – she was visibly shaking and Cora is also convinced that she’s probably been drinking too “LUFFY! DON’T LET ANYBODY BEAT YOU!”

Frowning, Cora took out his own cell and tried again to call Law and Bepo and once again, right to voicemail

_Fuck_

Cora turned to look at the Captain, the other having stayed rather quiet throughout the entire ordeal

“Captain?”

“I’m staying until they kick me out. Go find your brats, Trafalgar. If Ace wakes up, the first thing he’ll want to know is how Luffy is doing. I expect you to have an answer for me” ordered Smoker

“Tell me any updates if you get any?” asked Cora, nodding his head

“I can do that much. Also tell Sengoku to not take a fucking step near this hospital or I’ll have his ass thrown in one of my free cells, understood? As if stands, he has a restraining order of 100 feet from the hospital and I will be enforcing it to the full extent of the law” warned Smoker, fury clear in his face

“Understood! But I don’t think he-“ argued Cora

The glare he received from Smoker was enough to shut Cora right up

Time to find his kids, he guessed

_Man, good thing he had a tracking device on the van_

 

Cora frowned deeply

_The Kuja estate?_

How was this possible?

_Didn’t they hate each other?_

On the other hand, nobody would suspect Hancock harbouring Luffy since the World Government thought that the Kuja’s hated all men

They had no idea that Hancock was in love with Luffy though – but why was Law there?

Cora lifted a brow and rang the doorbell and got no answer

So he rang the doorbell again

No answer

Cora shrugged, ringing it once more, but this time, the mini tv screen came to life, showing – oh! The woman he had met that one time he had to pick up Law up from school for fighting

“Hello! Gloriosa wasn’t it? I’m wondering if my sons happen to be inside!” asked Cora as nicely as possible

_“We did our duty to the World Government. Please leave us alone_ ” answered Gloriosa, closing the feed

Cora blinked, surprised                          

_Huh?!_

But then he looked down and screeched

_SHIT! He was still wearing his dumb World Government uniform!!_

Cora quickly threw the coat on the ground and shrugged off his blazer. He ripped his shirt open, almost strangling himself with his tie before he threw it on the ground in a pile. He kicked off his shoes and socks and undid his pants, letting them fall to the ground once more

And rang the doorbell

Nothing

So he ran again

And again

_And again_

Finally, Gloriosa’s face appeared once more on the screen, clearly mad

_“Now you listen h-“_

“WAIT! IS LAW AND BEPO THERE! PLEASE! I’M ASKING YOU AS A PARENT WORRIED FOR THEIR CHILDREN! I DON’T WANT TO COME IN! I COME COMPLETELY UNARMED; I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF MY CHILDREN ARE OKAY! AND TELL THEM TO ANSWER THEIR DAMN PHONES!” blurted out Cora quickly, before giving Gloriosa the chance to turn him down again

Gloriosa paused, surprised

_“Oh! It’s you! The father of the doctor!”_

_Doctor?_

“Yes! It’s me! I know your policy is not to tell men inside and I respect that! So if Law is there I won’t ask why, but can you send him or Bepo over to talk to me, please?”

Gloriosa merely nodded as she closed the feed and Cora sighed in relief

Then he sneezed

_Being outside in January in a foot of snow wearing only boxers was probably a shitty fucking idea_

 

“Oh wow, he really is in his boxers in front of the gate”

Cora looked up from his crouched position, trying to contain his body heat as he looked at a surprised Bepo and a pissed off Law

“Why the fuck are you in your boxers?” asked Law, glaring

“Why aren’t you answering your phone?!” snapped back Cora, it was too damn cold, damnit!

“Sorry Cora, both of our phones are dead and we didn’t notice” explained Bepo apologetically

_Ah, like he thought!_

Law threw a bundle of clothes through the gate, still frowning

“Now why are you naked?”

“She wouldn’t talk to me because I was still dressed as a World Government agent” admitted Cora as he threw the clothes on, thankful that the Kuja girls were all really tall, so at least he was covered for now, even though the clothes weren’t to his taste, but hey! Better than nothing!

“Ah” replied Law

Cora sighed; he could tell that Law was mentally and physically exhausted

“How’s Luffy?”

“I did what I could” admitted Law, now clearly worried “He’s stable but unconscious”

Cora sighed, relieved

“Oh good, that’s good news. How are you two?” asked Cora

“Okay, I guess” admitted Bepo “Tonight was just, super stressful and we didn’t get much sleep and _Hancock yells a lot_ ”

Law snorted

“You need to stop doing everything she tells you to do” chided Law

“ _But she yells_ , Law” argued Bepo pathetically

“Are you guys coming home?” asked Cora, desperately wanting them to be home and safe

“I can’t leave Luffy’s side until he wakes up” replied Law matter-of-factly

_Makes sense_

“Ah, yeah, I guess”

“I don’t want to um-“ started Bepo, gesturing to Law

_Ah, he didn’t want to leave him alone_

“Alright, but you boys call me, okay?

Both boys nodded

“And get some sleep! And some food! And take care of yourselves!”

Both boys nodded again

“Also, when Luffy wakes up…Ace…Ace is alive! But he’s in a coma right now and they don’t know if he’ll come out of it”

Law frowned

“It might give Luffy false hope if we tell him now…I’ll tell him when he’s more stable” said Law

“Okay, but yeah, I’ll send you updates on Ace when I have them, okay?”

Cora then reached his arm inside the gate and wrapped it the best he could around Bepo and Law, pulling them the best he could into a hug, unable to stop the tears coming from his eyes

“I’m so so happy you’re both okay” blubbered Cora, relieved “I was so so scared that I had lost you two”

“We’re harder than that to get rid of, Cora!” teased Bepo as the two hugged back

“Yeah, like Bepo says, we’re resilient”

Cora smiled brightly through his tears

“I know, just please come home soon”

_I can’t sleep without knowing you’re okay_

“We’ll do our best; we’ll just murder you at Words with Friends instead” threatened Law, smirking

Cora merely laughed brightly, hugging them tighter

_He could accept that for now!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh apologies if the medical jargon is off, I did lots of research but alas, I just don't have 8 years of medical school under my belt, but I did my best!
> 
> But yeah, if Ace survived the attack, he'd be mangled for sure, so I wanted to keep within the realm of possibility, pretty much, if he lives, this is how he'll be


	99. -LAW- Got a Pocketful of Sunshine, I Got a Love, and I Know That It's All Mine (And Now It's Stuck In Your Head)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Ace chapter because the boy is still in a coma! So we continue on to what I can officially announce will be Law's last stand-alone chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

“It’s been two weeks, Law, I don’t think anybody’s gonna try anything”

Law huffed, frowning sharply at Bepo

 _Yeah,_ Cora told them that all the World Government had pulled out a week ago

 _Yeah,_ Cora had also informed them of the restraining order against Sengoku for Luffy and Ace

But Law couldn’t help but stay guard

Even though they’ve slept in the van for two weeks now since they weren’t allowed in the main house and Luffy and Jinbei had been staying in the guest house in back of the estate, Law still didn’t quite feel ready to leave

Like something was holding him back, he just needed to know that Luffy was going to be safe

And until he had this affirmation; he couldn’t leave

Even though Law knew that Luffy was finally stable, mentally and physically, Law just couldn’t _go – not yet_

But school was starting on Monday, well, _supposed to_ ; so many staff members were apparently government agents as well and well, Akainu, who has been dragged to jail where he belongs, so the school was sorely missing staff

Whatever, right now it wasn’t Law’s concern

 

“Hello! Is this where Luffy is recovering?”

Law frowned from his spot on top of the van, glaring at the person at the gate – _wait_ , he remembered him!

It’s was Rayleigh!

“Yeah, you found the right spot” said Law, hopping off the van and walking up to the gate, opening it

“Excellent! Sorry it took me so long to get here, I had a bit of a detour!” explained Rayleigh as he walked in

“Luffy’s in the staff house out back” explained Law, handing over Luffy’s hat to Rayleigh “Let him know that he needs to rest for another two weeks and that I’ll see him at school”

Bepo looked at Law shocked as Law turned and gestured towards the van, glaring

“Ah, you’re leaving?” asked Rayleigh

“Yeah, we have to go” said Law, suddenly feeling really uncomfortable as he walked past Rayleigh

“Alright, I’ll give him my regards, mister Trafalgar”

 

“Uh…Law…How come we’re suddenly leaving?” asked Bepo, sheepishly

They had already dropped off Penguin, Shachi and Jean Bart home and now they were finally home

“I’ve done all I’ve can medically for Luffy. Also I’m exhausted, I just want to sleep in my own damn bed” started Law, but then he sighed deeply “Mostly because I have no news on Ace to give to Luffy anyways, so I can’t face him right now. Rayleigh will take care of Luffy, I’ve done my job”

“Law…” started Bepo, but Law would hear none of it and headed straight to his bed, plopping down on the bed

_Bed sweet bed_

Bepo quietly walked inside the room and sat down on the bed besides Law

Law couldn’t see him from his position, face-planted into the duvet, but he could feel the bed shifting due to the weight of the other

“Law…”

Law groaned, he knew Bepo would know he was full of shit

“I’m overwhelmed, I needed to get away” admitted Law “But I didn’t think I could until I thought Luffy was safe, so when Rayleigh showed up, I don’t know, I felt outclassed”

“You also haven’t slept in days, Law” pointed out Bepo “I know you kept getting up every hour to check on Luffy and you weren’t really sleeping before the battle either! You have these massive black bags under your eyes”

“ _They look sexy_ ” snarked Law, not wanting to hear it

“ _They do not!”_ argued Bepo, appalled

The door to Law’s room suddenly crashed open

“YOU’RE BOTH HOME!!”

“Oh no” mumbled Law as he heard Cora coming in and throwing himself on the bed, pulling both of them into a crushing hug

“YOU’RE HOME! YOU’RE HOME!”

_Suffocation was a shitty way to go!! Goddamnit Cora!!_

 

Cora hummed happily as he spread out the take-out they ordered all over the kitchen table

He had to order take-out because apparently Cora himself was also too tired to make anything and apparently he also hadn’t done any groceries in two weeks

_What the hell had he been up too?!_

_Goddamnit Cora!_ If he was on a cigarette and wine diet again, _Law was going to fucking kill him!_

“So! So! What’s new! Updates!” asked Cora happily as he sat down

Law put some rice in his mouth and then pointed his chopsticks at Cora

“You first on the update!”

“ _RUDE!”_ yelled both Bepo and Cora, waving their hands                                 

Law chuckled a bit; he knew this would happen when he pointed with his chopsticks

“Well, I don’t have much to give” admitted Cora “Ace is still in his coma, but he’s healing well. The Captain’s at the hospital as much as he can and Garp is always there with Dadan. Sabo hasn’t really left Ace’s side either, but he’s also recovered nicely. He argued and begged his way into Ace’s room during his recovery though. Oh! I do have good news! Thatch woke up from his coma! But uh, he got the shitty news upon awakening and then was discharged a few days later. The Whitebeards visit pretty regularly too! So I’ve been seeing them on and off…well, the surviving ones”

“That’s good news about Thatch though!” pointed out Bepo

Law frowned

_Something didn’t sound right_

“I’m surprised he’s in a coma. He didn’t seem to have any brain injuries” admitted Law

Cora shrugged, reaching over into his bag and pulled out a file

“Maybe you’ll be able to make more sense of this than me?” offered Cora, handing it over to Law

Law blinked, taking the report and opening it – _oh!_ It was Ace’s medical report

“Wait, his surgeon was Dr. Crocus?! How did-“

_The legendary doctor of Roger D. Gol?!_

“He said an old gang mate called him and asked him to take care of Ace, so he came” explained Cora

Law blinked

OH! _Rayleigh!_

Law kept quietly reading through the report, discouraged

_Ace was a hot mess_

“Oh, he’s in a medically-induced coma. That makes sense” mumbled Law as he kept reading

“What do you mean?” asked Bepo as popped a piece of chicken in his mouth

“Ace isn’t really in a coma – well, he is, but it’s more like the doctor put him in one. That way his body can concentrate on healing and Ace doesn’t have to be conscious during the worst of the pain. All these injuries are excruciating, so during the worst of it, Ace is in a deep sleep so he doesn’t feel it. The problem is that between the burns and the impalement, he’s going to be in a coma for a long time. And the longer he’s under, the less change he has of coming out of it” admitted Law

“Oh, so the doctor’s might not be able to save him?” Bepo’s voice sounded so small

“Well, it’s more like it’s all on Ace for n- Wait, a T2-T3 injury? Ace is going to be a paraplegic?” asked Law, surprised

Cora nodded

“Yeah, Crocus said they won’t know for sure until Ace wakes up, but it’s pretty much guaranteed” added Cora, sighing

“Wait, Crocus said?! _You hung out with him?!”_ asked Law, shocked

_WHY DIDN’T CORA CALL HIM?!_

“Well now I’m depressed” sighed Bepo, pushing the food on his plate around

Cora smiled softly at them

“Now, now, it’s not all bad news! All the kidnapped kids are slowly coming home! Minus of course Vivi, she was shipped right to Alabasta. Apparently her father is furious about her treatment in the hands of the World Government”

“Oh that’s good! Law kinda got wind of all that kidnapping stuff via Luffy” explained Bepo

“Speaking of Luffy, how is he holding up?”

Law sighed heavily, putting down the report

“Well, he was a massive mess at first when he woke up. But Jinbei had a talk with him and then when he came back with him, Luffy had calmed down. But he almost opened all of his stitches, so it was really annoying. But like, _I get it_ ”

Cora nodded

“And how are you handling it all?”

Law jumped slightly, looking at Cora surprised at the question

“I didn’t get hurt”

“ _You know what I mean_ ” countered Cora

“Well…I don’t know, I felt useless and in the way now…so I left” admitted Law

“Law!” yelled Cora, annoyed, making Law wince “Stop underestimating how much just a presence is really important! I’m sure you just being there meant a lot to Luffy!”

_Damnit Cora! I didn’t ask for your positive views and shit!_

“I guess…”

“Did Luffy go see Ace yet?”

“No…I know that the old bag told him that Ace was in a coma the other day and Luffy was really relieved, but he didn’t ask” confessed Law, a little annoyed at the memory

_He wanted to tell Luffy the good news, damnit!_

“Well, you should offer to go with Luffy, as moral support. He’s probably appreciate it since this isn’t going to be hard for him” suggested Cora, grinning

“I don’t know…” muttered Law

“ _Did you think I was giving you a choice?”_ asked Cora, still grinning

“Oh shit” mumbled Bepo, snorting as he tried to hide his laughter

“Urgh fine fine” said Law as he pulled out his phone and quickly texted Luffy, suggesting the visit

And to his surprise, Luffy quickly texted back

Law blushed furiously and Cora snatched the phone out of his hands

“Ohoho, look at this! He says he really want to but he needs help getting around so he’ll have to lean on you a lot, wooooow, is this how he flirts? Yeesh”

 _“Fuck off!!”_ yelled Law as he dove, trying to get the phone out of the laughing Cora’s hands

 

Law grabbed his arms, trying to relax as his heart beat a million miles an hour – he felt horrible now about just walking out on Luffy yesterday but Luffy hadn’t seemed mad when they kept texting for the rest of the night – well, until Law passed out from exhaustion

“Torao!!” yelled out Luffy happily as he walked up to Law with his crutch, grinning

Luffy was going to need to use a crutch for at least another week or two, but otherwise, he looked much better

“H-Hey” replied Law, rubbing the back of his neck as Luffy looped his arm around Law’s chest, leaning his face on Law’s shoulder

“C’mon! Let’s go inside!”

It didn’t take long for them to get the room number for Ace’s room – if anything; the nurse seemed rather annoyed at having to give out the room number over and over again

_How many guests has Ace had?!_

Apparently Ace had been put in a secluded private room with a guard outside of the door

All strings had been pulled and no chances were taken whatsoever it seemed

Law’s chest was beating a million beats an minute, he was so nervous about seeing Ace, but not for himself, but for Luffy

This was going to be so hard for him – _would Law be enough to help him through it?_

 

“You might just as well say,’ added the Dormouse, which seemed to be talking in its sleep, ‘that “I breathe when I sleep” is the same thing as “I sleep when I breathe”! _That’s you_ , if anybody’s the Dormouse, it would be you…shit, does that make me the Mad Hatter?”

Law and Luffy walked into the room only to see Sabo sitting on the chair at Ace’s side, reading to him from a battered old book

Ace looked terrible – his arm was wrapped with mesh bandages so you could clearly see the graft. He had bandages all over, his torso especially and had a breathing tube in his mouth as he laid in the hospital bed and tubes and cables sticking out from all extremities but his feet

I made him look so… _young_

“Luffy?” asked Sabo, shocked as he stood up

“Sabo!” said Luffy happily, letting go of Law’s arm to throw himself in Sabo’s arms

Sabo hugged his brother tightly and burst into tears, clutching onto Luffy’s coat

“I’m so happy you’re okay! I’m so sorry for not being there, for not being there for you and Ace! But I’m so so proud of you for trying so hard and you did it! You saved him!” sobbed Sabo

Luffy buried his face in Sabo’s hair, hiding his face but Law could clearly him the sob that escaped his lips

“No! I’m so sorry for not doing more! That Ace is like this now!”

Law bit the inside of his cheek, feeling like he was intruding on something private and turned to leave the room

Luffy had his brother now, he didn’t need him

Law went to leave the room when he felt Sabo’s iron-tight grip on his arm as he tried to walk past them

_“Wait”_

Sabo pulled apart slightly from Luffy, still keeping his arm around Luffy’s back, holding him close

“ _Thank you, so much_. Koala told me that you not only rescued Luffy, but that you also treated him! His injuries had to be really severe, but you saved his life!” Sabo bowed his head

Law suddenly felt completely overwhelmed and uncomfortable from all the attention as his cheeks flushed

He had to admit though, he was…flattered? No, that’s not it, he felt… _proud_

Yeah, he was proud of what he did!

“I’ll leave you two to spend some time with Ace. I should probably get something to eat. But be polite and announce yourself, okay? When you talk to him long enough, his head turns a bit towards you, it’s…it’s nice” confessed Sabo, rubbing the back of his neck and then he stepped out

 

Luffy paused, now actually looking at Ace and Law didn’t miss Luffy instantly tearing up

“You…You should talk to him” encouraged Law “They say…well, research says that they sometimes hear it…the research isn’t conclusive though…but it can’t hurt”

Luffy nodded and walked up to Ace’s bedside, putting his hands on the bars on the side of Ace’s bed

“Ace! It’s me, Luffy and Tora-… _Law_! We’ve come to visit you!”

Law could hear Luffy’s voice shaking

Luffy bowed his head

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you!”

“Luffy! You did all you could and more! Don’t underestimate your actions! You were amazing!” yelled Law, suddenly angry at Luffy’s confession

“W-What?” said Luffy, looking at Law confused

“If I wasn’t already in love with you, I would have fallen for you after seeing you that night! You were amazing! Awe-inspiring!” confessed Law

But then he turned a deep scarlet, completely embarrassed

“No! Torao! You’re the amazing one!” replied Luffy before turning around to face Ace once more “Law saved my life, Ace! He did surgery on me and Jinbei and fixed us both right up! And he watched over us for two weeks and now I’m much better and everything is healing nicely! I would have died had it not been for Law!”

Law stared at Luffy stunned as Luffy’s expression also grew much softer

“Ace…You can rest now, okay? You don’t have to worry so much over me anymore! I’m in good hands! I have my friends, they take real good care of me and I have Law, Torao is always gonna take care of me, so I want you to concentrate on getting better, okay?” started Luffy, wiping the tears out of his eyes “And when you wake up, Ace, I want you to make yourself and being happy your number one priority, okay? Don’t worry about me and Sabo and everyone else before you again! You’ve given us so much, Ace! I want you to be selfish! Be selfish with what you want!”

Law turned his head, surprised to see the Captain walking in, holding a giant bouquet of flowers

Law lifted a brow; it was an odd combination of flowers

“SMOKEY!” yelled Luffy happily “You have some really pretty flowers! Are those for Ace?”

Smoker coughed, his cheeks clearly flushed as he put the bouquet down on the small table near Ace in a vase that had been ready there

“We should probably go” suggested Law, realizing that Smoker probably didn’t want company

Luffy nodded and turned around to hug Smoker, his arms around the man’s waist as he looked at Luffy, completely shocked

“Stay strong and believe in Ace, okay Smokey!”

“ _Get off me!”_ barked Smoker, clearly more uncomfortable

“Hey Smokey? You should be selfish with what you want too! Ace was really happy with you!” said Luffy as he grabbed Law’s arm “Let’s go, Torao!”

Law looked at Luffy shocked that he would bluntly say such a thing

But Smoker merely nodded, looking lost as he sat down on the chair, taking Ace’s hand in his

“ _Ace, it’s me-“_

And they walked out

 

“Oof! I missed your couch!” admitted Luffy as he plopped down on the couch

Law groaned slightly as he closed the door

“Easy, don’t injure yourself”

Luffy had complained that he was getting tired so it had been easier to just bring Luffy to his house than…wherever Luffy needed to go

“Come sit with me!” called out Luffy from the couch and Law quickly made his way to the couch and sat down on the only area of the couch where Luffy wasn’t sprawled over it

Luffy grinned and shifted so that his head was on Law’s lap, surprising Law, but before Law could say anything, he heard a soft snore

_Guess Luffy really was tired_

Law smiled softly at Luffy, watching him sleep on his lap. He hesitated for a moment, but soon enough, he had pushed Luffy’s hat off, laying it on the table in front of him and Law was running his fingers through Luffy’s hair

To think that only a few months ago, Law had been vengeful and resentful, wanting only for the day that he would kill Doflamingo but now, he had changed. He was a little less vengeful, but without a doubt, he was much happier now

Law was finding himself thinking more about the future, caring about his health and what tomorrow will bring – and less…foreboding

It’s hard for him to grasp at this moment that he would care so strongly about someone outside of his little group, that he’d be willing to open up to others

_And it was all due to Luffy_

Due to Luffy, he met others, friends of him or incredible acquaintances – life with Doflamingo hadn’t been ordinary, but he never would have called it an adventure

But that’s what being with Luffy was – _an adventure_

Every day was something new and different and for some reason, without realizing it, Law found himself willing to follow Luffy along on all of his adventures

Not that he’d let Luffy know how willing he was to go along

The future seemed… _So bright_

Law isn’t sure how long it’s been since he’s felt like this

_Was it when his parents and Lammy were still alive?_

Law smiled softly at Luffy, he wished Luffy could have met them, but Law knew very well that without losing his parents, he wouldn’t have met Doflamingo

Without Doflamingo, _he wouldn’t have met Cora_

Without Cora, he wouldn’t have moved across the ocean and moved to Goa

Without moving to Goa, _he might have not met Luffy_

Law had abandoned his faith a long long time ago – after seeing the atrocities committed by the World Government, he had casted out God from his life

But his parents had been devout; his mother had often told him that God always did something for a reason

_Maybe, Luffy was given to him as a reason after everything he’s been through?_

_No, maybe Luffy had been salvation after all of that?_

Law shook his head; he didn’t feel like overthinking this right now

He was thankful for everything, but Law also knew deep down that he couldn’t rest until Doflamingo wasn’t a problem anymore

But Law had time, he knew for the time being that Doflamingo would keep his nose clean and away; Doflamingo was willing to wait and carefully plan his next move

So Law will do the same

 

“Oh! Is Luffy here?”

Law turned his head only to see Cora and Bepo coming in with grocery bags

“Oh yeah, he’s sleeping though” admitted Law, blushing slightly

Usually Law would get up to help Cora; but he didn’t, so Cora probably figured out that Luffy was sleeping on his lap

Cora looked over the couch’s back and snorted, confirming it

“How was the hospital visit?”

“Emotionally rough” admitted Law, sighing deeply “But it was cut kinda short when the Captain came in with this giant bouquet of flowers”

“Odd you noticed the flowers” pointed out Cora as he kept putting things away with Bepo

“Well, it was weird; you know how usually bouquets kinda…look all the same? Like, they all look like the flowers belong together? This one looked all different and stuff”

“Not surprised, he probably individually picked them out for their meaning” explained Cora

Law raised a brow, surprised

“What? He uh…doesn’t seem like a flower kinda guy” pointed out Law

Cora chucked softly

“I’ve been helping out with the legal mumbo jumbo concerning the Whitebeard estate, so I’ve been talking a lot with the Captain’s older sister and let me tell you, I’ve learned a lot” started Cora “Apparently when Smoker decided that he wanted nothing to do with his father, he went to live with his aunt and she owned a flower shop. Smoker apparently worked there while he was in high school – and what kind of florist doesn’t know the meaning of flowers? So I’m pretty sure he picked each one for their meaning, do you remember what flowers?”

Law frowned, thinking back, his parents had taught him a lot about flowers due to their medicinal properties, so he was pretty sure he could recall them

“Well…there was…anemone?”

“Feeling forsaken but also anticipation!” answered Cora

“Ah, carnations?”

“Colour!”

“Red!”

“Love!”

“Daffodils? Sunflowers and roses”

“Rebirth, pure thoughts but also dedication and colours, Law! Colours!”

“Uhh, red, blue and green!”

“Deep love, but if it’s wine red, it’s heartfelt regret, the blue roses mean ‘I can’t have you but I can’t stop thinking about you’ and green roses mean best wishes for a prosperous new life or recovery”

“And…I think the last one was hyacinths? Purple ones”

Cora smiled softly

“ _Please forgive me_ ”

Law coughed, flushed, suddenly embarrassed that they had decoded Smoker’s secret message for Ace

“Wow, that’s pretty – _wow_ ”

Cora chuckled softly in response

“Flowers are great for saying a lot without having to say it out loud, so for people who get embarrassed pouring their heart out, it can be done with flowers!”

Law blinked, thinking it over

Maybe he should get Luffy a bouquet _– it was crazy embarrassing to say some of this stuff out loud_

“Alright! Now who’s hungry!” announced Cora, taking out a frying pan

“I am!” yelled Luffy, sitting up from his spot on Law’s lap, smiling brightly

_Okay, maybe an edible arrangement would be better for Luffy_

Luffy stood up, holding his hand out for Law, a massive smile on his face

_One thing though, was for sure -_

Law smiled back at Luffy, taking Luffy’s hand

_I’m ready to follow you anywhere_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I re-planned this chapter the most out of any chapters, I feel a bit bad because I had originally planned to make this chapter NSFW, but man, they're not ready and mentally and emotionally it wasn't the time either? Maybe down the line I'll write something stand-alone or something?
> 
> That said, I have officially taken off modding from commenting! I originally put it because I was terrified of getting hated on but at this point, I don't really care anymore 
> 
> My fic is what it is! 
> 
> I have a curiouscat if you want to ask me any questions about anything as well! https://curiouscat.me/joseethefirst
> 
> Also you can always reach me on twitter at joseethefirst


	100. -CORAZON- Aetas: Carpe Diem, Quam Minimum Credula Postero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at Cora's final chapter! The next time we'll get back to him will be in the epilogue! Welcome to chapter 100! 
> 
> I'm honestly so shocked that I wrote a fic this big and this long for so long
> 
> Anywho! Time to get right to it! Enjoy the chapter!

 

 

 

Cora never thought a month could crawl by so much

Ace was still medically under

He understood why though – _Ace’s injuries were pretty goddamn horrific._ It’s going to take a long time for it to heal. Between the hole in his chest and all the skin grafts he needed which could be rejected at any time. _The fact that he also had the goddamn measles isn’t helping either_

_Stupid Garp_

The dust was settling in the town, but Goa was a wreck

_The Whitebeards were gone_

Right after the service they had for Newgate Edwards, the Whitebeards ran away

With reason though, Cora couldn’t fault them at all

 At the battle, Teach made it very clear that he was coming after them and now Marco, at the tender age of 18, was now responsible for the whole gang. The option to disband was discussed, Cora knew that much from his conversations with Eleanor, but Marco didn’t have the heart to do it. Especially not considering so many of them had literally nothing else in life

Cora had been invited to the service, but he had declined because it was done on an isolated island and Cora couldn’t afford to take any vacation right now

The Police Department needed all hands on deck right now

With no major gang running the city anymore, the other gangs were running rampant. They were trying to desperately grab onto territory that was left behind, leading to many brutal fights between the gangs so police intervention was needed constantly

Thankfully Smoker was soon able to corral all of them and stop it right in its tracks. It was weird to think that one man was successfully able to drive away or arrest the gangs in a whole town within a month. Goa that was once run rampant and controlled by gangs was now pretty much gang free

But on the other hand – _Smoker was clearly using this as a distraction from what was going on with Ace_

But unfortunately, it led to Smoker getting hurt in the process

A gang member managed to slash the Captain right in the face during a raid. The slash was rather deep and now he was in the hospital himself. Not only for the injury, but he was forced into going into a stress leave as well, so they’re forcing the Captain to recover completely at the hospital. It allowed the Captain to also visit Ace as much as he wanted, which also seemed to have a calming effect on the other, so Cora felt it was well worth it

 

Cora cricked his neck slightly, he was tired from all the overtime he’s been doing too

Thankfully Law and Bepo had resumed school and everything seemed to be going more or less nomal aside from the fact that Luffy had been visiting and staying over more and more often. Cora was a bit afraid that Law having a guest over so much would alienate Bepo – but to Cora’s surprise, Bepo was always with Law and Luffy. Luffy seemed super fond of Bepo, so he was worried for nothing

But when Cora had spoken to Dadan earlier this week, she had mentioned that Luffy hadn’t been home since he left for his vacation – _so where was he staying when he wasn’t over at his place?_

Cora sighed as he walked into Ace’s room; it wasn’t worth thinking about it now

To his surprise, Garp was sitting in the room and he looked like a mess

His injuries due to Dadan’s beat down had healed at this point, but Garp looked exhausted

“Rosinante? You’re here again I see” muttered Garp, barely looking away from Cora

It was weird that now Garp was using his name now

“I’m trying to stop by at least once a week, any changes?”

Garp sighed slightly, shaking his head

“He’s healing but…This would have never have happened if Roger hadn’t expected me to not mess this up. _I failed him_ , Rosinante. Roger should have trusted someone else to take care of his child. Had the World Government not hunted down Rouge like a dog, she might have been able to have Ace at nine months like she was supposed to. Might have lived to raise and love her son. So Ace wouldn’t have wound up like this”

Cora stayed silent, knowing that Garp just needed someone to listen right now

“I retired. I couldn’t…I can’t continue on as if nothing has happened. They won’t let me completely retire though. Some bullshit about moral and me knowing too much. So I’ll be training the new recruits at the local recruitment center and its right by Ace’s rehabilitation center so I’ll be able to go see him often”

Cora raised a brow

“You booked him a place at a center?”

Garp nodded

“Crocus said that Ace was going to need severe rehab on his left arm. And of course he’s going to have to learn how to live in a wheelchair because he might be in one for the rest of his life _. His life is ruined_ ” Garp’s voice chocked as he spoke

Cora only saw red

_How dare he!!_

“ _He’s alive!_ That should be enough! Ace will overcome this and kickass at his rehabilitation and learn to be independent! No matter what, you can’t lament what Ace can’t do anymore because a month ago, we were sure we had lost Ace! So don’t goddamn talk like that! He has his life!”

Garp looked at Cora stunned, not sure what to say

“Now more than ever, you need to be the most supportive guardian ever! If he needs a wheelchair – _you buy him all the goddamn chairs he needs!_ If you feel guilty about not being there for him – _be there for him_ now more than ever!”

“I agree with the tall blonde”

Cora turned around and saw Dadan, surprised to what she said

“I also messed up though. I acted like a monster to Ace his entire life. I resented that I was blackmailed into raising him that I shunned him. When I think that Ace hated himself all this time…I’m going to change too! I’m going to support him no matter what! I’ll support him and love him with all of my heart!” yelled Dadan, pumping his fist

Cora smiled slightly, glad to hear it

“ _Speaking of openly supporting Ace_ …Why is the Chief of Police spending so much time at Ace’s side? He’s always here when I come in and then he leaves. When I leave, I see him pop back into the room. He brings flesh flowers every couple of weeks and takes care of the ones in here. He’s constantly holding Ace’s hand, talking to him or playing music or playing movies in the background? Also I keep hearing him talk about ‘justice that’ and ‘justice this’, which confused the hell out of me – is he lecturing the kid?”

“ _You’re a moron_ ” snapped Dadan, frowning

“Hey! Why you calling me a moron?! Do you know why he’s acting like he’s in love with Ace?!” replied Garp, clearly not used to getting insulted by Dadan

Cora sighed loudly

“Will you tell him or will I?” asked Cora, turning towards Dadan

Garp looked at them confused for a second but then his jaw dropped

“W-Wait! _Ace’s ‘mysterious’ boyfriend_?! It’s the Captain?! _Are you serious?!”_ replied Garp, shocked “I feel like such an idiot”

“Well, you are one, so nobody’s surprised” snipped Cora, rolling his eyes

“Hey! You use to be a nice boy! What the hell?! Since when do you talk to me like that?!”

_Okay, that was it!_

“ _I was!_ Until I had to step up for all these kids in this town! These poor abandoned kids that have been abandoned and left to their own devices by the people who should be protecting and supporting them! _You’re_ their guardians, and you’re right! _You have failed them!_ And now you have to live with it! My patience for your negligence is gone! You better make it up to them! Or so help me, _I will do everything I can to make sure you never see them again!_ And I’ve kidnapped a kid before, and _I will do it again_ , is that clear!”

Both Garp and Dadan looked at Cora shocked, nodding

“GOOD! You guys better not goddamn mess up! Or I will be back, and I won’t be nice!” yelled Cora as he stormed off, hitting the doorframe along the way, swearing loudly in the hallway as he stomped off

“AND JUSTICE IS THE CAPTAIN’S DOG!”

 

“Do you always yell at people in the hospital? Is it my turn?”

Cora huffed, crossing his arms, annoyed – he couldn’t stay sitting around with Dadan and Garp so he went to visit the Captain in his room

“ _They deserved it!_ Talking about Ace as if his life was ruined and lamenting over what they could have done and some shit – _he’s not dead!”_

“No, I agree with you. Hopefully this will be the kick in the ass they need to get their shit together for Ace’s sake” replied the Captain, looking over his papers

Cora frowned slightly; it must be hard for the Captain to read with the big bandages covering his right eye

“Any updates on your eye injury? Will you have any vision problems?”

“No. I got lucky since I managed to close my eye in time and pull back enough that it just cut my eyelid. I’m more annoyed that they had to shave my head and being forced to go on stress leave”

“Yeah about that, how come you’re doing paperwork then?” asked Cora, eyeing the very generous stack of papers on Smoker’s bedside

“Stress leave is just the term we’re using. It’s more like I’m ‘desk bound’ so I’m catching up on all the paperwork from the past month or so will all the goddamn arrests and shit. _Fuck this is bullshit_ ” muttered Smoker, clearly not enjoying it

Cora eyed the Captain slightly, wanting to ask something but not sure how

“ _Out with it_ ”

“So…when Ace wakes up…Are you going to make up with him?”

Cora knew that this was probably none of his business

And that the likelihood of the Captain not ripping his head off for asking was super low

“If he’ll have me. I’ll ask him to take me back and if he refuses, it’s out of my hand” replied Smoker honestly, not looking at Cora as he signed a paper

Cora’s jaw dropped; shocked that Smoker so casually admitted it!

_Wow, guess he’s growing up too!_

“Oh! I have something for you!” Cora pulled up his satchel and dug through it, pulling out a brand new cellphone “I got this in the mail today! The instructions are to give it to you to give to Ace!”

Smoker looked at him hesitant for a moment, raising a brow

“ _From goddamn who?_ I ain’t giving him no bomb”

Oh! _DUH_

“Oh! No! It’s from Marco! He said it’s preloaded and that there’s a video for Ace to watch when he wakes up! And that Izo said that he uh…transferred all of Ace’s game data so he wouldn’t…” Cora reached into his satchel and pulled out the note, squinting “ _lose all of his waifus_ – especially not the UR he uh _grinded_ so hard to get”

Smoker snorted a laugh, taking the phone from Cora

“Ace plays these mobile games where you collect pictures of characters as a reward” explained Smoker

_Honestly, it warmed Cora’s heart that Smoker care enough about Ace to know what kind of games he played_

“Also there’s a note here to feed Kotatsu? Apparently he’s going to be brought to my house because he’s not dealing with the separation from Ace very well? Aww! A pet will be fun for a bit!”

Smoker started to laugh hard

“Good luck with Kotatsu!”

_What did that mean?!_

 

_THERE IS A LYNX IN HIS BACKYARD_

WHY DOES ACE HAVE A LYNX CALLED SOMETHING SO CUTE LIKE KOTATSU?!

WHY ISN’T KOTATSU A CUTE KITTY?!

Oh my god, what if it eats the strays that Law pretends he doesn’t feed but Cora totally knows it’s him and has seen him feed the cats and pet them??

Oh no, the strays!!

Cora closed his front door, whimpering

_Is it illegal to collect all the strays and bring them inside?_

“Did you go to Newgate’s service?”

Cora looked up from taking off his shoes and saw Sengoku sitting on his couch, holding the invitation to the service in his hands

“I wasn’t aware you were so close with a mob boss”

Cora frowned, coming up to Sengoku and took the invitation out of his hands

“Odd, I was taught that it was rude to break into someone’s house and going through their mail! Also, for your information, Newgate and I got along rather well since we’re both doting parents, you see”

Sengoku sighed sadly, closing his eyes and rubbing his face

“Forgive me; I didn’t come here to fight, Rosinante. I wanted to talk to you” admitted Sengoku

Cora frowned, merely pointing at the phone on the table

“I tried every day for a month, Rosinante…I just couldn’t bring myself to”

Cora sighed slightly, looking over Sengoku as he went to sit down besides the man

Honestly – Cora was still mad at Sengoku’s behavior and actions

But the other was his father and he looked like he aged considerably, as if he was 10 years older

And it was odd that he wasn’t wearing his uniform like he usually did and was just in very casual clothing

“I need to tell you this because I’ve been ordered to not let the information out. There was a mass escape of the inmates of Impel Down and the World Government refused to have the news be released. They don’t want the world to lose faith in them”

_WHAT_

“But! So many people will be in danger!”

“I’m ashamed of myself. I can’t believe how out of hand everything now is. I’m ashamed of what I did on the 31rst”

Cora huffed, crossing his arms and leaned against the edge of the couch

“Not ashamed enough to keep Sakazuki behind bars though. I saw that he had been acquitted of his crimes” hissed Cora, displeased

“That order came from above and was out of my hands. My hands were tied” explained Sengoku, bowing his head down

Cora rolled his eyes, not surprised at the answer

“But I did make sure that he’s banned from Goa permanently. And that decision cannot be overturned no matter what. But it was all I could do”

Cora blinked, looking at Sengoku surprised

“What?”

“It’s the only thing I could do to prevent Sakazuki from going after the boy. I let anger and hatred for Roger blind me, Rosinante. You were right, that poor child spent his life getting hunted and being hated for no viable reason. I almost waivered on the scaffold, Rosinante. When he bowed his head and started crying, begging for everyone to stop dying for him. In that moment, he looked like a young child and it dawned upon me that that’s exactly who he is – a young child. And in that moment, I remembered another young child I found sobbing his heart out because the world also hated who he was simply because of what he was”

Cora smiled softly at the memory

“Which is why I knew that you were blinded with hate and couldn’t see the kid in front of you. My father once explained that when your hate something for so long and for so hard, it blinds you completely that you’ll lash out against everything that reminds you of it. Ace was your reminder of Roger. You didn’t see Ace when you looked at him – you saw Roger, someone you hate. Which is why I intervened – _Ace doesn’t deserve that_ ” explained Cora

“Honestly I don’t know if I can live with myself now that I have the privilege of looking back at my actions. One day, I hope I can apologize to Ace in person” confessed Sengoku

“Regretfully, the best thing you can do for Ace right now is to stay far far away from him as much as possible” admitted Cora “ _You tried to kill him_ , that’s not something that’s easy to forgive”

Sengoku nodded

“I’m retired now. I stepped down as Fleet commander. Who my replacement is going to be, I have no idea since it’s still up for debate and honestly I want nothing to do with the decision. I don’t see myself as fit to make such a choice anymore, but I did recommend Kuzan” explained Sengoku

_Huh, both Garp and Sengoku retired?_

Guess Cora will too – he refuses to work for anyone else than Sengoku honestly

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I might volunteer as an Inspector General, but mostly I just want to reflect on the actions and the mistakes I’ve done over the year. My obsession with protecting civilians has led me to let the World down. The general population is angry at what we’ve done and there’s been an enormous backlash. The world is angry and upset at us. The support for Ace has been overwhelming and they’re demanding that the World Government pays reparation to Ace if he wakes up” explained Sengoku

“ _With reason_ ” agreed Cora

“I had criticized Garp for being a grandfather before an army man, but maybe my friend had been right all along. I’d like to concentrate on being a grandfather from now on”

Cora blinked, _can’t say he was expecting that!_

“You’re going to have to do some massive ass-kissing before Law or Bepo come around. Especially since Law loathes the World Government for what they did to his family and town”

Sengoku chuckled sadly, rubbing the back of his neck

“Well, hopefully I’ll have the time now to do so”

 

Cora smiled slightly as they stayed in silence for a moment, not quite sure where to carry the conversation past this point

“Did you know there’s a lynx in your backyard?” asked Sengoku, raising a brow

“Yeahhh, my life is pretty wild here, let tell you! But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else” admitted Cora as he stood up, heading towards the kitchen

He needed to get snacks and tea!

“Now you sit there and wait! Because my sons should be home any moment now so you better be ready to do that ass-kissing you promised!”

Sengoku nodded, determined as he pulled up the duffle bag he had at his feet and opened it up, revealing that it was filled with snacks of all kinds and small presents

Cora blinked; staring shocked but then laughed brightly

“Well that’s a start!”

Cora smiled brightly, shaking his head

_It felt nice to laugh again after such a hard month_

He wished that Ace would be okay so that everyone could finally start healing from this disaster

Cora really wanted everyone to be okay again

_All I pray is for a happy ending to this tragic tale_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, next chapter will be the last one before the epilogue! Ahh! I'm so excited! 
> 
> ALSO! I've been hard at work on the calendar! I'm hoping to have it all done by next chapter but for sure for the epilogue!
> 
> Again! You can find me at 
> 
> joseethefirst on twitter
> 
> I have a curiouscat if you want to ask me things anon!
> 
> https://curiouscat.me/joseethefirst
> 
> and also, if you can manage and feel like it, I also have a ko-fi account! (no pressure at all!)
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/joseethefirst


	101. -ACE- It’s A New Day (Give All My Loving to You)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the last official chapter! I hope this answered a lot of your questions and well, you'll see! Enjoy!

 

 

 

The alarm was screeching loudly

Ace groaned, sitting up annoyed as he slammed down on the alarm, turning off the noise

He ran a hand through his hair, looking around the room he was in, groggy

_Huh? What room is this?_

_Who’s room is this?_

Ace blinked, looking around the rather spacious room

It was the same size as Sabo’s room but what surprised Ace the most, was that it was filled with things he’d want

He was in a large spacious bed with a large, warm orange comforter with paisley patterns on it with multiple fluffy pillows and there were no holes in the blanket? No, this was an actual duvet! The mattress was really nice and he had a bed frame?! He was in a gorgeous cherry wood sleigh bed?  The floor had a really nice carpet and there was a high def tv hooked up with multiple gaming systems and a large library filled with tons of books that Ace loved. There was a large record collection as well and a skull of a bull over his bed. On the far wall, there was a gorgeous desk with a closed laptop on it and Ace didn’t miss that it was had stickers of things he loved on the laptop cover. Much like the posters on the wall

If Ace didn’t know any better – _he’d say this was his dream room_

“Ace? Are you up? Be sure to take your pills and get dressed and come down for breakfast! It’s going to get cold!”

Ace blinked, confused

_Who was that?_

He didn’t recognize the voice coming from outside!

Looking to his side, Ace saw a small weekly pill container and when he opened it, he saw the medication he wanted to get on! This was the best stuff on the market for Narcolepsy!

Grinning, Ace stuck it in his mouth and downed it down with the glass of water on the nightstand

_This was so cool!_

Ace threw the cover aside and hopped out of the bed and looked at the door, noticing that there was a school uniform on the hanger

Was this was he was supposed to put on?

The pants were a green plaid pattern with red lines running through. There was a white dress shirt and a pink tie with pale thin white lines on it and a beige-brown cardigan

It seemed familiar, but Ace couldn’t quite put his finger on it

Oh well, he’ll figure it out when he goes to the source of the voice

 

Ace walked through the hall of the house, following the scent of the food. The house had a very similar layout like Sabo’s, but he didn’t recognize it

But the thing that confused him the most was that it was littered with pictures of himself at many different stages of his life

Tons of him as a baby

Tons of him as a toddler

Tons of him as a child

And tons of him as a teenager

_But he seemed well off?_

Not loaded or anything, but it didn’t look like a dirty poor kid

He had joined sports teams?

_What?_

He could never afford to join a team?!

Finally Ace got to the kitchen and walked in, only to have his jaw dropped                              

There in front of the table, putting down a plate of pancakes on the table, _was Rouge D. Portgas_

She looked older than she did in the photo that Ace had, but it was clearly her

_His mother_

_She was alive?!_

“Ace! There you are! You took forever this morning! Sabo and I thought you might have fallen back asleep!” teased Rouge, smiling warmly at Ace

Ace blinked, shocked, but now only noticed that Sabo was sitting at the table, wearing the same uniform as he was

Oh

_OH_

_THIS WAS THE UNIFORM OF ST SNOBS ACADEMY FOR SNOBS IN SNOBS TRAINING!!_

_Why was Ace wearing this uniform?!_

_Why was his mother alive?!_

“Ace? Are you okay? You look rather pale” said Rouge as she looked at him carefully

“Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m fine” muttered Ace as he sat down and started to dig into the pancakes

The pancakes that his mom made

_Holy shit_

Sabo and Rouge started to exchange small conversation about Sabo’s family while Ace looked at them, completely stunned

It was his… _His Mother_

Rouge was wearing a lab coat, so maybe she was a scientist? Or a doctor?

A doctor might make sense – she was able to delay his development, so she must have known about medical stuff!

_Right?_

But before Ace could say a word, he felt someone come into the room and patted Ace on the back

“You boys want a ride to school?”

Ace looked up and lost all the colour in his face

It was Roger

_Roger D. Gol was behind him!_

“No thank you, mister Gol! Ace and I are gonna take our bikes to school” replied Sabo

“Alright! It’s a nice day anyways; you boys should enjoy the fresh air! And I’ve told you, Sabo! Just call me Roger!” answered Roger, laughing

Ace is pretty sure he’s having a meltdown

How the fuck

What the fuck

_What the fuck_

_WHAT THE FUCK_

 

“Ace…Are you sure you’re okay? You really don’t look good” asked Rouge, clearly worried as he went up to Ace and stroked his cheek

Ace instantly melted into the warm touch

He’s dreamed so much of this

So many times he wondered what his mother’s touch felt like, her voice sounded like, how did she smell, _everything_

And there she was, touching him, concerned about him, _clearly adored him_

Ace started tearing up; unable to deal with the emotions he was having right now

“Ace? Ace? Baby, _love_ , what’s wrong?” asked Rouge, concerned

“I-I’m fine” choked out Ace “I’m just… _so tired_ ”

_Why did he feel like he’s been asleep for a year?_

Rouge sighed slightly, clearly relieved as she booped his nose

“I know you’re studying hard to get into the best schools, Ace, but you do need to remember to sleep, okay?” Her voice was so warm and loving, Ace wanted to hold on to every single word she was saying

_To lock it up in a chest, to keep it forever with him_

“Personally, I think Ace just needs to join the family business!” answered Roger, inhaling a pancake, making Sabo laugh

“Not everybody wants to do what you do, mister Gol” commented Sabo, chuckling

 “It’s Roger! Roger! Mister Gol makes me sound so old!” whined Roger

“You boys better get going or you’ll be late!” announced Rouge, handing Ace a fine leather school bag

Ace couldn’t believe anything that was happening

 

He was in High Town

_In what universe did he live in High Town?!_

“Uh…Sabo?”

“Yeah Ace?”

_Actually in what universe did he own a bike?!_

And not just a normal bike, _but a sweet orange city bike!_

“Uh…Not to sound weird…but why go I go to St Snob’s?”

Sabo laughed as they pedaled up to the gate of the school

“Because the heavy security! They can’t risk the son of a CEO-slash-mob boss’ son to be a in a public school! Especially not with his dad’s rival gangs roaming Goa High”

 Ace blinked, shocked

_Oh yeah_ , now that he thought about it – Goa was filled to the brim with gangs! _It would be super dangerous for him to be with them_

“Like the Whitebeards?”

“Uh, yeah?” said Sabo as they brought their bikes to the indoor bike park inside the school “Your dad and Newgate go drinking together and stuff, that’s no secret, but it’s also no secret that many of the Whitebeards hate your guts”

Ace felt like he was just punched in the heart

“I didn’t…do anything though” muttered Ace, frowning as he looked through his iPhone

_Since when did he have an iPhone?!_

None of his friends were in the phone

None of Luffy’s friends either

And especially not the Captain

_What was happening?!_

Sabo blinked, raising a brow but then he sighed, clapping Ace on the shoulder

“Hey, if you didn’t live in High Town, we might have never met! I don’t know what I would have done without you in my life, man. Your mom pseudo-adopting me was a blessing, you’re like a brother to me”

Ace smiled slightly, relieved to hear that, that he and Sabo still managed to find each other

But something was especially bothering him

Right now though, Ace was too afraid to ask

 

Ace had spent his classes in a daze

_What the fuck was going on?!_

He was following Sabo around like a lost dog, not sure what sure to really do

Suddenly it was gym class and they had to get changed in the fanciest change room that Ace had ever seen

Ace glanced quickly at Sabo as he changed and Sabo was…considerably scrawnier than he usually was, which was so weird

Sabo trained so hard every single day?

“Hey…Do you have any business at the café tonight?”

That was always their code so that Ace could openly ask Sabo about his business with the Revolutionary Army without outing him out

“Café? What are you talking about, man?” Suspicions confirmed

“You know? With Koala? You have a shift with her tonight?”

“Who’s Koala? Is she cute? She sounds cute? You holding out on me, Ace?” asked Sabo, grinning

Ace couldn’t even pretend to smile as his face fell

Sabo didn’t know Koala?!

“Hey…what…what do you think about the Revolutionary Army?” asked Ace, carefully

“Those terrorists?! I think they have good ideas maybe, but I don’t know, they’re kinda over the top? What’s with all these questions today, Ace?” Sabo was clearly starting to get really concerned about Ace

Ace removed his dress shirt and suddenly caught sight of something weird in the mirror behind him

Where was his tattoo?!

_He didn’t have any of his tattoos?!_

The ASCE was gone!

_The Whitebeard symbol was gone!_

Ace felt his heart in his throat

_He had to ask_

“S-Sabo…I have…I have to ask… _where’s Luffy_?”

Sabo blinked, looking at Ace confused, tipping his head

“Who’s Luffy?”

 

Ace isn’t sure if he could stop screaming

He had started screaming after Sabo answered his question and ran out of the change room

He ran off campus, still screaming and ran out of High Town

Sabo didn’t know Luffy!!

_In what fucking universe did Sabo not know Luffy?!_

Still running, he quickly made his way into the police station, barging inside

The officers inside stood up, staring at him confused

“Sir, is there a problem?”

_It was Bellemere!!_

“Bellemere! Is the Captain here?! I want to see Chase! I need to see him _now!”_

_Please please please, this stupid universe, at least give me this!_

“First of all, _young man_ ” started Bellemere, frowning sharply and putting her hands on her hips “It’s _officer Clementine_ , I don’t know you so don’t use my name like that, and second of all, nobody called Chase works here?”

Ace ran out of the station

 

Soon enough, he was in the forest of Mt Corvo, running up to the house

Dadan’s house was there! He had made it!

Running up to the door, Ace swung the door open, walking in and was met with Dadan holding a gun to his face

_“Get the hell out of here, brat”_

“Dadan! Wait! Let me explain-“

_“GET OUT!”_

Ace scrambled out of the house, not wanting to take a chance and went back into the forest

 

The tree house wasn’t there either!

_What was happening?!_

_What world was this?!_

_What was going on?!_

_Where was he?!_

Ace crumbled down to the ground and cradled his face as he started to sob loudly, his body shaking

He was so torn

On one hand, he clearly had a really good life with his mother and father and clearly hasn’t really suffered growing up

But on the other hand, everybody he had loved in his life because of his difficult life was gone or didn’t remember him, minus Sabo

_Could he live in a world where he had his parents but not his surrogate family?_

_Could he live in a world where he didn’t have Luffy?_

“Hey…Are you okay?”

Ace looked up from his spot, only to see Luffy looking down at him, tipping his head

Wearing his straw hat

Ace smiled brightly – about to say something

Everything went bright

 

_“Ace? Ace? Can you hear me?!_

_Luffy?! That was Luffy!_

_“Luffy! Don’t yell at him! The doctor said he wouldn’t wake up right away”_

_Sabo? That was Sabo!_

Everything went dark again

 

_The pain was excruciating_

Ace looked down slightly and saw Akainu’s fist through his chest, the magma covered hand clearly visible

But as he looked down, he was relieved that Luffy hadn’t gotten hit

He had _saved him_

_It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt_

What was going on?!

The Whitebeards were all around him

Marco flew by him to kick Akainu with Vista

Ace tries to hear what was going on but his head was swimming

_He was talking though_

He could hear himself talking to Luffy

Suddenly the memories of his time in Impel Down flooded his mind

He was _scared_

_Scared_

_So scared_

He remembered being out in the open sea

He remembered how good the fire felt in him, all around him, he felt at home with the mera-mera fruit’s abilities

His memory locked into one that took place in a restaurant

_Wait_

_That Marine_

_Was that the Captain?_

_Was that Chase?_

Smoke suited him so much

_“Thank you for loving me”_

Everything went bright again

 

_“Justice misses you, you know? She looks at me and then at the door and then back at me. So I know she’s waiting for you to come through the door”_

_“Ace? Are you there?”_

_“Ace?”_

_“Please come back to us”_

 

Everything went dark again

 

Ace grunted slightly as he opened his eyes, he was in a completely white room, sitting on the ground

The memories of what happened in Gray Terminal flooded back into his mind

_Right, a metal pole through his chest_

“Am I dead?” asked Ace out loud

“Do you want to be?”

Ace turned and saw Rouge walking up to him from behind

She looked just like her photo, even wearing the same long dress as she sat down beside him

“No…No, I don’t…I miss everyone so much” admitted Ace “But… _am I dead?”_

“Who knows” replied Rouge, shrugging her shoulders “You probably figured out at this point that I’m a manifestation of your subconscious. Use your psych 101 class information!”

Ace sighed, relieved

“So I’m not dead”

“Again, how can I know? I only know what you do” replied Rouge-not-Rouge

“I don’t want to die, but so many people got hurt because of me” if Ace was talking to himself _, he might as well let it all out_

“That’s a choice they made out of love for you, Ace”

“I guess so…”

“Don’t reject the people who love you, Ace” tutted Rouge-not-Rouge

“I know, but I’m just so tired of people getting hurt for my sake…Shit, even _you_ died for me!” pointed out Ace

“Yes, I did” admitted Rouge-not-Rouge “And I probably didn’t regret it all, Ace. I probably regretted not being there for you growing up though, but the alternative was you dying. How could I regret saving you? How could anyone? All these people love you, so clearly I died for someone that was worth it”

Then Rouge-not-Rouge smiled softly, taking Ace’s hands

“And you must believe it too, because I can’t say things you don’t believe yourself, deep-down”

Ace smiled back at Rouge-not-Rouge warmly

“I want to see everyone, mom”

_“Then wake up, Ace”_

 

_It hurt so much_

Ace was groggy as he opened his eyes, overwhelmed by the pain wracking through his body. His mouth felt like cotton and when he felt something on his face, he started to panic, weakly trying to make a grab at it

Suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, calming him down

He was confused and scared, and in so much pain, and the room was so bright, it was hurting his eyes, so he couldn’t focus

“I called the doctor and nurses over” started the voice “They’re going to up your meds a bit, okay? You’ll be in less pain in a few moments. Breathe Ace, that mask is there to help you breathe”

_Chase?_

It was Chase!

Ace nodded slightly as his vision cleared up and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling, relieved as the sight of the Captain leaning over him flooded his vision

He was in so much pain, but this made him _so happy_

He had shaved his hair and it looked like he had a new scar on his face, but that beautiful smile was what mattered to him

_Was he in the right world now?_

 

The nurse gave him a drink of water and removed his mask, allowing Ace to prove that he could breathe on his own

And right as rain, the meds had kicked in and even though Ace felt supper stiff and wrecked, at least he wasn’t in so much pain

A doctor walked in, grinning

“You’re resilient as hell, you know that? Just like your old man! Name’s Crocus, I’m your doctor! I was Roger’s medic actually; glad to meet you, kid!”

Ace felt completely sideswiped

_This man was Roger’s medic?!_

He heard Smoker clear his throat

Ace looked at Smoker and noticed the man looked…shy? _Almost embarrassed_

_Why?_

As he looked down, he saw that Smoker had discreetly offered Ace his hand to hold

Ace smiled shyly as he took the hand, squeezing it – well, as much as he could, he felt completely exhausted, but Smoker squeezed his hand back, making him feel better

“So, you’re probably wondering what the hell is going on? I think you’re conscious enough now that we can explain it to you. We tried to talk to you the few other times you woke up but you just felt back out like a light. We were starting to get afraid that we had fucked up and you were brain dead! So, due to the severities of your injuries, you were put in a medically induced coma. We technically took you out of it about 48 hours ago, but you weren’t quite waking up until now”

Ace nodded slowly, thinking it over

_He survived?!_

“The hole in your chest actually filled up rather nicely. It seems you took to the surgery and the skin grafts rather well. But I’m warning you, you will have breathing restrictions and a rather delicate heart for the rest of your life. So you’re going to have to learn what your new limits are. Also, you’re going to have to be monitored for the rest of your life by medical professionals and you’ll have restrictions of what you can do and consume, okay?”

Ace nodded again, trying to get his head around it all

_How was he alive?_

“Also, you had an extensive skin graft on your arm. It was severely burned and we couldn’t save the original tissue, but Sabo generously donated his tissue. Hence why your arm is now considerably paler than you usually are”

Ace’s eyes went down and he smiled, noticing that yeah, the skin on his right arm was very white compared to his usual sun-touched skin

To think that Sabo donated his skin really touched him his heart

 

“ _IS HE PARALYZED?!”_

Ace jumped slightly as Garp barged into the hospital room, howling, his hand gripping the doorframe as he breathed hard, looking like he ran here

“ _You fucking idiot!”_ roared Smoker, standing up, clearly furious

Crocus frowned sharply

_“I hadn’t gotten there yet, you blubbering idiot!”_

Ace looked at Smoker

And then Garp

And then at Crocus confused

And then back at Smoker

_Why where they talking about him being paralysed?!_

_Why would Gramps even ask that?!_

Ace lifted his right leg, showing his Gramps that he was stupid to even ask that

_But his leg didn’t lift up_

Ace frowned, trying to lift the left leg

_His leg didn’t lift_

Wait

_He couldn’t feel his legs!_

_He couldn’t feel his stomach?_

It was due to the drugs _, right?!_

_Right?!_

“Ace, Ace, listen, you need to calm down” instructed Crocus as Smoker squeezed Ace’s hand

Ace lifted his uninjured hand and folded it into a fist and pounded as hard as he could on his thigh

_And he felt nothing_

Ace wiped his head to look at Smoker, begging for an explanation

“Ace…”

“The metal pole…it pierced your chest right through. Your spine was severed at the T2-T3 point, so there’s a high chance that you can’t feel past your entry point anymore”

_Holy fuck, he was paralyzed_

Ace’s head was spinning, not sure how to take the news but suddenly he felt Smoker stroke his cheek gently

“Ace, listen, I know this is hard to hear but you’re alive and that’s enough for all of us”

Ace felt the tears runs down his cheek as he started to cry softly – it was so much to take in at once

_He was horrified_

_He was depressed_

_He was devastated_

_He felt so guilty_

_He felt horrible_

_But he was alive?_

_He was overjoyed_

_He was happy_

_He was relieved_

_He wasn’t supposed to be alive – yet here he was_

_Maybe, this was much better than being dead_

_He could deal with this_

 

The doctor explained more things and then he said he’ll let Ace process everything and ordered Ace to get some rest and that he’ll check up on him later

Garp was dragged out by Crocus, who was furious at Garp, leaving Ace alone with Smoker

But before Ace could attempt to say a word to Smoker, Sabo and Luffy burst into the room, sobbing their eyes out

Smoker had discreetly stepped out, breaking Ace’s heart because he didn’t want to let go of his hand

Luffy threw himself initially on Ace, taking Ace’s breath away literally but Sabo pulled him off. Koala discreetly came in after them

“ACE!! ACE!!” howled Luffy, sobbing loudly “I’m so sorry!!”

Ace shook his head, smiling

“Hey Luffy” his throat was scratchy and sore, but it felt good to talk again “I’m so glad you’re okay”

“How are you feeling?” asked Sabo, smiling as he wiped the tears out of his eyes

“ _Shitty_ ” admitted Ace coughing slightly as he tried to laugh “Thanks for the skin though, I can finally hail cabs now!”

Sabo looked at Ace surprised at the joke and then laughed

“Here I was worried about you and _you’re making shitty jokes!”_

“Would I be myself if I didn’t?” replied Ace, snickering slightly and then letting out a small cough

“That’s a good point. Any idea when you’ll be discharged?”

Luffy at this point had gently laid his head on Ace’s lap and Ace hadn’t even noticed until he heard Luffy blubbering under him

_That was going to get hard to get used to_

“ _No idea._ The doc said that probably in a month or so, but to be transferred to a rehab center to learn how to be wheelchair-bound, I guess? He said I’ll probably never walk again, so not to count on it, but that I should be able to at least learn how to be independent” admitted Ace, not realizing how hard it was for him to say it out loud

_It was so weird to think how different his life would be now_

“Don’t say that, Ace. You’re not ‘bound’ to a wheelchair! You’re not stuck it in, it’s going to free you from this bed! _You’ll be a wheelchair user!”_ corrected Sabo, puffing his cheek

“You’ll be just fine, Ace, I’m sure of it” said Koala quietly, smiling “You’ll be going out with us like normal in no time!”

Ace smiled, feeling slightly relieved, he was so thankful for them all

“What about school though?” asked Luffy quietly “I miss you at school”

Ace tried to reach down his right hand but could barely move it, so he adjusted, moving his left hand to run his fingers through Luffy’s hair, knocking off Luffy’s hat slightly

“I won’t be able to go back to Goa high, Luffy. They’ve already arranged for me to get a school-board installed private tutor at the rehab center so I can at least finish high school this year because apparently I missed a lot of school already…what…what day is it anyways? I’ve been too scared to ask” admitted Ace

“It’s March 14th, Ace. And it doesn’t matter, Luffy, we’ll just have to visit Ace all the time at the rehab center for that we have our daily dose of Ace, okay?”

_Holy shit, he’s been out for three months?!_

“Yeah!” declared Luffy, grinning as he sat up “We’ll come see you all the time! Nami said that you’ll have to do a lot of physio and stuff, so we’ll come help you with your exercises and stuff!”

Ace laughed slightly, nodding his head

“I can’t wait!”

“Sorry to interrupt you two? But can I speak to Ace alone?”

Ace looked at the door and spotted Garp sheepishly looking in

“Yeah, let’s go Luffy!” said Sabo as he stood up

 

“I…I owe you an apology, Ace”

Ace frowned slightly, raising a brow

“For what?”

“I…I failed you and I want to concentrate on making up to you from now on…if you’ll let me”

_What?_

“I don’t-“

“I promise you, I’ll tell you the truth about Roger. I spent your whole life lying to you about Roger. I’ve been making up horrible stories, telling you that he was trash, utterly evil and a demon. I lied about Roger because I was desperate for you to not go down the same road. In my desperate attempt to not have you idolize Roger…I wound up making you hate yourself instead” confessed Garp

“ _Forget him_ ; we have stories about Roger for you!”

Ace looked up, surprised at the new voices ad he was shocked when he saw who was at the door

It was Shanks, Crocus and someone he didn’t recognize

“You can beat it, Garp – Poor your heart out to the lad another time. Our time is limited” said the man that Ace didn’t know

“You listen here, Rayleigh, you’re lucky I don’t report your ass to the World Government right now!” replied Garp, clearly annoyed as he stood up, pointing his finger at Rayleigh

_Wait, Rayleigh?!_

_Like the Dark King Rayleigh Silvers!? Roger’s right hand man?!_

“I think you’ve done enough damage for now – now let us talk to the boy. Shanks has to get going”

Ace stared completely stunned about the people in his room as Garp grumbled, stepping out

“Ace! I wished you had told me when you sought me out years ago to thank me that you were Roger’s son! I was part of his gang!” announced Shanks, laughing

“I didn’t-!”

_He was?!_

“And also! I would have told you I was your uncle!”

Wait

_What?_

_WHAT?_

“W-Wha-?!”

“Here, look at this!” Shanks put his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a small wallet, which he snapped open with a flick of his wrist, showing Ace a picture

It was Shanks, looking incredibly young, in what looked like a photobooth photo – and with him, was Rouge, who looked a little younger than the photo that Ace had of her! They were both doing peace signs and making silly faces

“Rouge was, _no_ , she’s my big sister! I actually introduced her to my boss, go figure. I had no idea she was pregnant, honestly. I only found out when I went to visit her and found out she had died giving birth. I tried to track down the child, but I had no luck. Had I known I would have been more involved in your life” admitted Shanks, grinning as he sat down in the chair besides Ace’s bed

_“…There’s no time like the present?”_ meekly offered Ace “I’d like to know more about my mom…and my dad”

All three of the men started to laugh

“Well, you better get comfortable! Because we have stories for you!” answered Crocus, grinning

Ace grinned but then he paused, an idea coming to him

“Do…Do you mind if I invite someone to listen in?”

 

After a many hours, the three men departed as visiting hours were now over

But Ace was thankful that he wasn’t alone

_“I can’t believed I got to be present for that”_

Ace chuckled softly as Smoker, sitting in the chair, looking still star-struck

Somehow Smoker had managed to convinced the hospital to let him stay overnight

“You’re welcome”

“Thank you, Ace, for letting me be part of that” said Smoker honestly

Ace shook his head slightly

“It’s no problem, thank you for being there for me while I was under. I can’t wait to thank Rosinante for yelling at Gramps and Dadan for my sake”

Ace didn’t remember much, but _that_ he did

“Huh? You remember that?” asked Smoker, surprised

“Yeah, I remember bits and pieces of conversations. Thinking back now, it was probably what I heard while I was under. The yelling was hard to ignore”

Smoker snorted, smiling

“I’ll tell him that you want to see him, he’ll be happy. He visited you weekly and constantly asked for updates on you”

“Sooo…You gonna tell me why you shaved your hair and have a cool new scar?” asked Ace, really wanting to know what he missed in these past three months

“Ah…There’s nothing cool about it. Was taking down a thug and he slashed me in the face. More annoyed that they had to shave my head” explained Smoker, slightly embarrassed

But Ace didn’t miss the flush of his cheeks from the compliment

“You should…grow it out on top, just a little longer than you had it. And then shave the sides and slick it back. It would look sooo hot” purred Ace

He shivered slightly just imagining it, nngh, _that would look good_

Smoker rolled his eyes

“I see you’re the same as usual” but then he smiled “But I’ll think about it”

Ace paused slightly, suddenly feeling like he might be annoying Smoker – _they had broken up_

Should he really be taking up so much of the Captain’s time?

“I’m okay, if you want to go home, it’s fine. Justice probably misses you but if you want to stay, I’m really happy you’re here” admitted Ace

Smoker blinked, looking at Ace surprised

“You’re being rather up-front”

Ace shrugged slightly

“I had an epiphany on that scaffold. I told myself that if I somehow survive, that I’d be more open and upfront with my feelings”

Smoker nodded, reaching a hand up to push Ace’s bangs behind his ear

“I’m not here because I feel obligated to. _I’m here because I want to_ ” admitted Smoker “How are you handling everything anyways? You had a lot to digest”

Ace exhaled loudly

“I’m…kinda all over the place and too tired to really process it all. I’m thankful that I’m alive but I’m also really sad over what I lost, you know? And there’s just…so much that I don’t know. If people think that I haven’t noticed how nobody’s talking about that night, they’re dead wrong. But overall, I’ll deal”

Smoker nodded again

“You’ll have mandatory therapy in rehab, so it’ll give you the chance to process everything. So take advantage of it to the fullest. You don’t have to hide who you are anymore, Ace. The world knows now, so you can be honest about everything” explained Smoker

Ace stopped, stunned

Smoker was right

_The World knew his secret_

He didn’t have this deep dark secret because _everyone now knew about it_

_He was_

_He was free_

“Oh man, I didn’t even think about that! I guess that’s tr-“

Wait

_What happened to everyone?!_

“Wait…why…why hasn’t any of my Whitebeard brothers come to see me? What about Thatch?!” asked Ace, suddenly fearing the worst

_Nobody had talked about the Whitebeards!!_

“Shit, right” replied Smoker, reaching into the dresser of the nightstand and pulled out a cellphone. He quickly turned it on and handed it to Ace “Marco sent this to you. Apparently there’s a video recorded in there for you”

Ace nodded, waiting for everything to load up and smiled warmly that the background photo was the silly picture the Whitebeards had taken on Halloween night of themselves in costume

Ace quickly found the video, it being the only video file and opened it – revealing a video of Marco talking, with all the Whitebeards in the background

_“Ace! If you’re watching this, it means you woke up – so we’re happy you’re up!”_

Ace laughed softly as everyone in the room yelled hello, but Ace also noticed that many people were missing in the video

But he was thrilled to see Thatch in the video with his arm around Izo – _but he didn’t see Pops_ , so he paused the video

“Chase…I don’t…I don’t see Pops”

Smoker instantly looked at the ground, looking slightly guilty

_Please no_

“Ace…I’m sorry”

Smoker didn’t need to finish his sentence

Ace could fill-in the blank

_Pops was dead_

“I-I _killed_ him” sobbed Ace, shaking

Hot tears fell from Ace’s eyes once more, overwhelmed with guilt

“Ace, you didn’t”

“I killed him! _I killed him!”_

“Ace! _No!_ He died protecting his family! This was the choice he made! He died the way he always wanted to – if anything, the circumstances allowed him to have the honorable death he’s always wanted. He never wanted to grow old and die in his bed, _he wanted this_ and he was able to have it” explained Smoker, cradling Ace’s cheek, wiping the tears from Ace’s eyes with his thumbs

“I’-I’m so sorry, Chase, your dad died because of me”

Smoker sighed slightly, smiling softly

“No, Ace. But without you, I at least had him back in my life again. Which I’m sure never would of have happened without you. Mourn him, Ace. Mourn him all you need, _but don’t feel guilty_ ”

Ace nodded slightly, rubbing his eyes as he continued the video, needing to hear the Whitebeard’s voices

Now the Whitebeards were gone and it was just Marco talking

_“-So you’re probably wondering why we’re not there in person but we had to leave Goa right away. Teach made it very clear after he killed Pops that he was going to come after all of us. So once we knew you were safe, we scrammed. The last thing we wanted was for him to come after you again. Pop’s estate was all cashed in and shared evenly between all of us equally. Your share has been put in the Captain’s name and also all of the money you had in the bank accounts under my name too. Now that you can be yourself, you can open your own bank account and finally use your own money”_

Ace smiled, that’s right! _He was 18 now!_

But Pops couldn’t adopt him anymore…

_“Ace, listen, use that money on yourself. For the medication you need, supplies you need, rent, and schooling, whatever you need. All of us took a chunk of our money and put it in your pool because we want you to go to school and have a life of your own. The idea of you being a teacher sounded really great and we all agreed! But there’s a hitch – a teacher can’t be a gang member. So we’re kicking you out of the Whitebeards”_

Ace felt his chest go tight as the tears flowed again

_He was hurt_

But at the same time, _so incredibly touched_

_“In our hearts, you’ll always be one of us – but openly, we’ll deny ya! I hope that one day, we’ll meet again. And we know what whatever happens, you’ll overcome it and nothing will forever stand in your way. You’re strong and resilient, Ace. People want to be around you and take care of you – for the first time ever, let them. Allow yourself to be happy, Ace. You’re paid the world the debt you think you owe them for existing. Now allow yourself to be free – your mother died for you to live, so live Ace! You have a second chance at life – it’s all yours!”_

The video ended and Ace clutched the phone, holding it to his chest as he quietly cried

_He was going to miss them so much_

“I agree with them, Ace. This is your second chance at life, what do you want from it?” asked Smoker quietly, still playing in Ace’s hair

“I…I want to learn how to be independent”

_He didn’t want to have to depend on people all the time, but he’d allow himself to ask for help if he needed it_

“I want to go to school…I want to be a teacher and help other kids”

_He wants to use his experiences and his lessons and teach them to others, to help others_

“I want to be as healthy as I can too!”

_Sabo was right, a wheelchair would free him_

_But if Ace was completely honestly_

“I want to watch horror movies on Halloween night with you again”

Smoker blinked, looking at him surprised as he smiled a little

“Oh yeah? That one’s doable” mumbled Smoker, looking away a bit embarrassed

Ace smiled, feeling confident

“I’m also glad that you want to be around me even though…we… _yeah_ ”

“About that” started Smoker as he scratched his nose “I wasn’t going to talk about it now, since I didn’t think it was the right time, but you brought it up and I’m starting to think I might chicken out if I don’t do it now”

Ace frowned, looking at Smoker confused

“Me…ending things between us…was a mistake. One that I deeply regret and not because of what happened afterwards” started Smoker, barely able to look at Ace as he gestured to him

Ace would have been hurt if he didn’t notice the very bright red Smoker’s face currently was

“But because I loved…you too much and not having you there in my life…was worst than any situation I imagined might happen to you…well… _minus when I thought you had gotten killed that night_ …but anyways, um, if you’d like” started Smoker, clearing his throat “ _If you’d allow it,_ we could…maybe…try again when you’re ready… _if you want_ ”

Ace paused for a moment, letting it all sink in

He had been pretty distracted by how cute Smoker was being, all embarrassed like that

_But…was…was he asking to take him back?_

Ace smiled softly

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you when I woke up” admitted Ace, himself now blushing as he looked down at his own hands

Smoker didn’t say anything but suddenly Ace felt his jaw being grabbed gently and his face being turned slightly

_“I can do that”_

Ace smiled even brighter as Smoker leaned down to kiss him deeply, Ace happily reciprocating the kiss

_Man he was glad that he had brushed his teeth when he woke up!_

Suddenly the heart monitor attached to Ace started beeping, so they both broke the kiss, making Ace laugh softly

“ _Look at what you did!”_ teased Ace, pointing to the monitor “My heart is racing!”

Smoker made an annoyed face, trying to push his hair back, but then made a frustrated noise when he realized that his head was still buzzed

_Wow, he really was annoyed about that!_

But then Smoker smiled softly, leaning towards Ace to nuzzle his hair softly as he held Ace’s hand again

_This was so nice_

“Hey…Chase”

“Hmm?” grunted Smoker as he kept nuzzling Ace’s hair

“I’m kinda scared. This world had never been so…full of possibilities for me, you know? It’s really overwhelming” admitted Ace, feeling completely safe for the first time in so long

“Take every day one step at a time, Ace. You’re not alone in this either. If you ever need help or advice or anything, we’re all here for you. Tons of us really, I’m always surprised at how many people come out of the woodworks to help you and do good for you. People want to see you succeed, just allow yourself the time to do so”

“Hmm, I guess” replied Ace yawning, not trying to be dismissive, _but now he was exhausted_

“You need to get some sleep; you’ve had a big day” replied Smoker as he pulled back, sitting back in the chair

“I guess...” started Ace as he looked down at his phone, surprised that he had a reminder notification so he quickly read it

And then he smirked

“ _Your birthday is today?”_ asked Ace

_Thank you Marco for putting that in there!_

Smoker grunted, pulling back

“Yeah, but don’t bother spouting any crap about getting me present. You came back to us, that’s all I wanted”

Ace smiled brightly

“Snuggle with me? I don’t want to be alone in the bed”

“As much as I’d love to, I’m pretty sure the bed would collapse under our combined weight and there is barely enough room on that bed for you alone. So no”

“We won’t know until we try!”

“Ace. No”

“Hastag for science?”

“ _No_ ”

“They do it in mangas all the time!” replied Ace, playfully whining

“I’m not even going to attempt snuggling in that hospital bed, Ace, _much less have sex with you on it!_ Forget it!” barked Smoker

“Oh ho ho! You know what I was implying! How come? Hmmm? Did Chase read dirty comics growing up? Or does he read them now? Oooh, tell me all about them! It’ll be my bedtime story” proudly teased Ace as he pulled up the blanket with his good arm, closing his eyes with a smile

“Shut up, brat, or I’ll leave” warned Smoker, huffing

“Nuh uh, old man, you said you love me, so you gotta stay with me now _for life_ ” teased Ace, smirking, eyes still closed

“You better not be proposing to me because that would be the shittiest proposal ever and I have standards!” replied Smoker

Ace merely paused, snapping his eyes back open

_Oh_

_He had never thought of that_

_Wow, it could actually happen one day!_

Ace chuckled

“I’m sorry, I’ll propose to you better another time”

He was in so much pain truthfully, but the butterflies in his stomach were back and it was making Ace _so hopeful_

_For the future_

_For their future_

Smoker sighed, smiling softly as he stood up. He unlocked the barrier on the side of Ace’s bed, dropping it down and shifted the position of his chair. Once the chair was in the place that Smoker wanted it to be, he sat back down and leaned over slightly. He put his arm around Ace’s opposite shoulder and pulled Ace in as close as he could allow with their current position and leaned down again to kiss Ace deeply

“There’s no rush Ace, we have all the time in the world. _You have all the time in the world_ ”

Ace smiled softly as he closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat steady

_For the first time in his life, he truly felt like he did_

 

 

pss, this is the uniform

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually incredibly hard to write
> 
> It took months of research to be able to write this as comfortably as I possibly could. I looked up research online, spoke to professionals in the field (thank god my older sister is a physio) and did tons of research in books as well! Months of researching spinal injuries, rehabilitation, firsthand accounts, ect, etc, etc and then I was researching the different stages of a coma, what waking up from a coma was like (from like, actual people, not movies) and such
> 
> The reason Ace heard them talking between his hallucinations is because when you emerge from a coma, you ‘wake up’ a few times before you actually do but you’re basically not really there and then fall back asleep – so that’s what Ace is doing!
> 
> I made Ace a little bit more comfortable speaking immediately, usually it takes a bit before the person can talk, but I kept Ace as stiff as I could – he’s also pretty drugged up as well
> 
> Thank you, honestly, for everyone who’s read this far
> 
> I’ll do my official thank you after the next chapter which is the epilogue! And don’t worry; the epilogue will be a usual length chapter! I’m going to hopefully answer all of your questions in the epilogue but if you have any more you’d like for me to address – let me know!
> 
> Hit me up either in the comments or my curiouscat: https://curiouscat.me/joseethefirst  
> (I know it’s empty right now, but I want to give you all an anon way to speak to me if you want!)
> 
> Also, if you have fics prompts or ideas you’d like for me to explore after this fic, let me know! I’m always open to listen to ideas and maybe one will strike inspiration in me! 
> 
> But again, thank you all so much! It warmed my heart how worried you all were for Ace and everyone! When I started this fic, I just wanted to write a SmoAce fic with some LawLu mixed into it and it blows me away that it’s reached this point
> 
> Thank you all, really! I ordered a cake for myself to celebrate the end of this fic, so I’ll be posting a picture of it at the end of the next chapter! (WITH THE CALENDARS! I promise! They're halfway done!)


	102. -EPILOGUE- Flowers in the Window (So Far Away From There and There Is Time, Time, Time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue going up a little early today since I have a long shift today and I was going to come home kinda late! I didn’t want to post the last chapter late! So here it is!

 

 

 

_“My name is Ace D. Portgas-Gol, and welcome to my crib!”_

 

“Urrggh yuck, Ace, an MTV Cribs reference in this day and age? _Seriously?”_

Ace chuckled, proud of his joke

He was talking to Sabo via skype on his ipad that was mounted on his wheelchair so that Ace could move around while talking with Sabo

Ever since Sabo had to make a run for it, Ace hadn’t seen his brother in months, so it was nice that they could talk right now

“So? What’s it like being a brand new house owner on his first day of college?”

“A little overwhelming, honestly” admitted Ace “I’m still in shock that I’m a homeowner, you know? Me and Chase unpacked the last box last night!”

“Honestly I’m more surprised that your boyfriend was not only on-board to building a house with you, but was planning it before you even brought it up”

“ _Excuse me_! Chase isn’t _my boyfriend_ anymore, you know that!” replied Ace, blowing up his cheeks

“Oh, I’m soooorry, your _fiancé_ planned a house with you” Sabo corrected himself, rolling his eyes to pretend he was annoyed

Ace grinned, rolling in his chair back and forth slightly, waiting for Sabo to ask

“Alright, alright, show me the ring; I know you’re just dying to”

Ace whipped his hand up to the screen, showing Sabo the tasteful engagement band on his finger. It was a simple silver band with a gold band in between and a small white stone in the middle

“Wow, he didn’t go cheap, did he? How did Luffy take the news? And the others?”

The memories of how Smoker had proposed to him flooded Ace’s mind _, he still can’t believe they’ve reached this point!_

When Ace thinks that nearly two years ago Smoker had dumped him, and now _they’re engaged!_

“Luffy’s thrilled about ‘Smokey’ becoming his brother-in-law” explained Ace “Dadan and the others are thrilled and so is Makino. But Gramps is annoyed about it, but he’s annoyed by Chase in general, so who cares”

After it was out in the open that Smoker was Ace’s boyfriend, Garp grew weirdly hostile towards Smoker. It didn’t help that the two found each other constantly in each’s other’s orbit due to both Smoker and Garp seeing Ace often at his rehabilitation center

So they had butted heard more often than not with affairs concerning Ace and what would be more beneficial for Ace

It had been rather overwhelming how involved Garp had been in his life in the last two years – especially during the rehab and all the lessons and seminars. Ace though drew the line at Garp being present when it involved anything about sex because his Gramps didn’t need to know about what Ace did in bed, _thank you very much!_

Smoker though, had gotten an _engraved_ invitation from Ace

 

The rehab though was excruciating

It had been hard for Ace to accept his new limitations, but he’s very glad he did it though

He can now stand for a few moments using braces but it was utterly exhausting so he’d rather just stay in his chairs

But in general he’s just super happy that if he needed to, Ace could live alone. He can go to the bathroom himself, dress himself, cook for himself and more or less be independent

Ace though is very thankful for the assistance he does get when he needs it

It was rough enough learning how to take care of himself all over again now that he didn’t have any feeling past his chest, but also having to do extensive rehab for his right arm was extremely difficult as well

The arm functioned well at least, but it was stiffer than he’d like and if he was honest, he doesn’t feel as well as he used to with it – but it was better than not having it!

Having to relearn how to do simple things like writing was a mess, _thank god he was ambidextrous!_

But, it had delayed his application for college though. Technically Ace could have tried going at the same time as his previous classmates but he decided that he needed to take time for himself

Ace had many people to grieve that he had lost, his past life to grieve and also he had a lot to work out on himself mentally as well as physically

Therapy had been godsend honestly, he was glad that he took Chase’s advice and took it seriously and really utilised it

And now he was much happier, on great medication that he could finally afford and living in a house he custom built with the love of his life that was made to accommodated him

“He’s still not used to your beau, huh? I guess he doesn’t like competition in being the man in your life”

“Oh _ew_ , Sabo” replied Ace, pretending to gag

_He didn’t want to think about Garp fighting for his attention! Yuck!_

Sabo frowned slightly as he squinting his eyes

“Is that a new chair I see in the back?”

Ace grinned, turning himself around and flipped the ipad so that Sabo could see the chair

“Yep! Gramps bought it for me! It’s a sport wheelchair! I abused the old one pretty bad, so I’m pretty happy that I got a new one! Luffy got me these sweet flame decals for it!”

“Ooh, that suits you” said Sabo in awe

“Let me show you the rest of my humble abode!”

 

“Ace…not to down the mood, but any news on the Whitebeards?”

Ace sighed deeply

“Not really. I keep getting text and emails here and there, but every time I try to set up something so I can, you know, _see them_ , they refuse, spouting some shit about connection problems. I know it’s because they figured out that I want to see who’s left. I heard it’s pretty bad through Chase though. Apparently some lunatic is literally out to kill all the Whitebeards? Claiming some shit about being Pop’s legitimate son or some crap?”

The whole situation honestly had Ace rather scared, but Smoker had assured him that he was safe since it seemed like the bastard didn’t want legitimacy but _the inheritance_ , so since Smoker hadn’t claimed any, he was fine

_But still_

“Well, I’m hoping you get some legit news soon. If I come across anything, I’ll let you know, okay?”

Ace nodded, smiling

“Speaking of updates, how are you anyways?”

“We’re fine; we just have to keep moving because of our involvement with that civil war a few years back. But we’re settling fine in the new headquarters!” explained Sabo

“Hi Ace!” yelled Koala from the back as she walked behind Sabo, carrying a massive stack of papers

“Hey Koala!”

“You excited for your first day of college?” asked Koala as she peered over the stack of papers

“Sure am! I’m a little worried about leaving the children alone all day though…” Ace looked back at them worried as they cuddled, sleeping on the couch

Sabo snorted

“I’m sure Justice and Kotatsu will be fine alone for one day. I’m still weirded out that a lynx and a dog get along that well though” assured Sabo, chuckling “You’re going to do great Ace, I’m sure of it”

 

Before Ace could reply, he felt a hand on his shoulder

“We need to get going or I’ll be late” informed Smoker, leaning over Ace

Ace smiled, tipping his chin up to steal a kiss from Smoker, who happily returned it

“I heard your station got uh, _a considerable amount of new officers_ , Chase”

Smoker sighed heavily, pushing his hair back

“Yeah, a shitton of new police recruits. They’re good guys, but a little rough around the edges” admitted Smoker

“ _The dreaded G5 class_ ” teased Ace, smirking

Smoker snorted, putting a cigar in his mouth and lit it up

Ace gazed lovingly as his fiancé and shivered slightly, so happy that the other had listened to him about the hair

It looks _so so_ good

“Have you picked your best people for the wedding yet? I need to discuss stuff with them as Ace’s best man” asked Sabo

Smoker groaned, the vein on his forehead throbbing

“It’s still under revision, but I’ll let you know when I decide. There’s no rush, we don’t even have a date yet” answered Smoker, as civilly as he could

Smoker could not bring himself to be curt or mean with Sabo, Ace isn’t sure if it’s out of his kindness since he’s Ace’s brother or because he’s still a bit scared of the other

“You hit a sore spot, Sabo! He’s still trying to decide between Hina and Tashigi! But considering the two are also now engaged, he doesn’t play favourites between them, you know?”

“Just pick both!” suggested Sabo

“I’ll think about it” replied Smoker “Ace, _time_ ”

“Sorry Sabo! We really gotta go! I’ll email you a full report of my first day tonight, okay?”

“I await it!”

 

“Oooh look who it is!”

Cora jumped slightly, surprised out of his thoughts but smiled brightly when Ace came up beside him, grinning

“Hey Ace! Where are you heading to?”

Cora had been out on patrol, so he didn’t expect to see Ace!

“Today’s my first day of college! So I’m heading to Goa University right now” explained Ace

Cora blinked, surprised as he started walking along side Ace, towards the campus

“How come you didn’t take your cool car? I’ve seen you driving around! That’s a sweet ride!” asked Cora

“I got a ride to the station with the Captain” started Ace, pointing back in the direction of the station “Since it wasn’t too far away from the campus, I figured I could just bring myself the rest of the way. Especially since it’s such a nice day, you know? So the kivi’s at the station!”

_Oooh that made sense_

“You should have come in that sweet bike you use when you and the Captain go exercising in the morning!” exclaimed Cora “I saw you zoom by my house every morning this summer, you’re really fast on that thing!”

It was really impressive to watch! It was surprising enough when he found out that where Ace and Smoker had built their house was in his neighbourhood – but watching his boss do his morning jog every morning with Ace along-side him in his bike warmed Cora’s heart

A part of him was terrified that they would fall apart since it was such a dramatic change in Ace’s life, but if anything, it seemed to have cemented them together

Cora didn’t miss the sudden appearance of matching rings on both of their hands – even though he’s a bit annoyed that he had to find out the truth through Law who went through Luffy because the Captain was a private man and didn’t announce it

_Goddamnit, Smoker!!_

“Ahh, as much as I love my shark bike, it isn’t too great inside, you know?” replied Ace, chuckling

“Oh man, I guess that’s true! You are going to school! You have to be professional and stuff!” Cora then smiled warmly at Ace “I’m really happy that you’ve made so much progress, you know? You seem so happy now”

Ace nodded, smiling brightly

“Thank you! And I’m happy to have heard that you have officially retired from the World Government forces!”

Cora snorted

“Yeessh, that’s old news. I retired the moment they announced that Sakazuki was the new Fleet Admiral, meaning I’d work directly under him. No fucking way is _that_ happening!”

The whole affair left such a horrible taste in his mouth

_How could they assign the monster such a position?_

It was clear in what direction the World Government wanted to go in – Cora wanted nothing to do with it

“Frankly I think Detective Trafalgar suits you much better than whatever rank that shitty organization could have given you” admitted Ace

“Ah! Why thank you!” Cora had gotten the promotion soon after he retired from the World Government and he was thrilled with it!

He still went on patrols and such because he enjoyed them, but he found himself able to go on more and more cases and investigations, showing the faith that the Captain had in him

_Which of course meant a lot_

“Oh, I have to get going” said Ace, pointing across the street to the campus “It was great catching up with you!”

Cora smiled, agreeing with Ace as they parted ways

 

Even though Ace had lost the ability to walk and was heavily scarred, he seemed so happy now that Cora felt that it was honestly much better for the youth

So many good things have been happening to Ace, that Cora wished him nothing but happiness

And not just Ace either, in general things were just so much better in Goa

Law and Bepo have been able to have normal high school lives in the last two years. Law and Bepo were both turning 18 in a month or so and today they were starting their first day of their last year of high school

Both boys filled out really well as well! Bepo was only about a head or so shorter than Cora now and Law was a good six feet. Both didn’t look like tall, lanky children anymore at all! They looked like young men

It was a little emotional for Cora when he thought about it

Law and Luffy had progressed very well as well. Now they were openly affectionate and honest with each other. Cora though wished that Law would use a sock on the doorknob or something to signal to him that him and Luffy were uh… _busy_

He still felt horrible about walking in on them last weekend! He totally destroyed the mood!!

 

Cora jerked forward, knocking him right over as he tripped over a fire hydrant as something bumped into him really hard

He let out a cry as he fell over but as he was falling, he couldn’t believe what he saw

_It was Baby 5 and Buffalo_

“Hurry up! Or we’ll be late for school!”

“It’s your fault we’re late! Why did you have to get food to that bum!!”

“He needed me! He was hungry!”

Before Cora could say anything to them, he landed in the trash bin

Struggling, Cora got out of the bin as fast as he could, desperately looking around

_Where did they go?!_

_Why were they in Goa again!?_

_School?!_

_Oh shit! He had to get to the school! He had to talk to –_

 

_“Law!”_

Law closed his locker, his first period books under his arm as he stretched his neck

He was tired since he barely slept last night

Cora had given him permission to ride with paramedics to learn more about emergency medicine and it was honestly such a great experience!

_Law was pretty sure it wasn’t legal_ , but meh

But he arrived home rather late and then he and Luffy had texted each other for another hour after he got home, so it was well past 1am by the time he actually fell asleep

“Yeah?” asked Law, yawning loudly

Bepo huffed slightly

“You keep spacing out!”

“I’m tired man; you know what time I came home last night”

“Huh? Naw man, I was sleeping like the dead. I was asking you if you’re seeing Luffy tonight?” asked Bepo as they started to walk down the halls

“Yeah, but we’re going to go out somewhere. After what happened on Saturday, I’m not bringing Luffy home for a while” admitted Law, his face scarlet

_Out of all the times for Cora to just barge into his room!!_

_It was so fucking embarrassing_

The worst part is that Luffy found the situation _really funny_

“I’m so sorry I was asleep and missed the moment he opened the door though! But waking up to Cora screeching because he was so embarrassed was well worth it!” teased Bepo, snickering

“ _Shut up_ ” snapped Law

“I’m sorry” instantly replied Bepo, lowering his head

 

“TORAO!” yelled Luffy as he threw his arms Law’s waist

Law couldn’t help but smile proudly when he felt Luffy’s arms tighten around his chest

It was hard to miss how much Luffy had bulked up over these last two years, but most of it came during the last summer, so uh, Law had trouble keeping his hands to _himself_ when he saw Luffy this Saturday

Because he was _medically_ interested in Luffy’s muscle growth

_Yes_

_That’s why_

Law leaned down and gave Luffy a quick kiss as the two started to walk towards the quad where they were going to meet the rest of their friends

“How’s the moving coming along?” asked Law

“Great! We’re all set to move into the Sunny this weekend! You’re still good to come help, right?”

Law nodded

Luffy hadn’t stop talking about it all summer how they were all going to move into Franky and Robin’s house, named apparently The Thousand Sunny house, but Luffy kept calling it the Sunny

Honestly Law had been surprised when everyone’s guardians agreed to allow every member of the Strawhats to move into the house during their last year of high school, but on the other hand, _not really_

Between the orphans and the liberal upbringing of most of the Strawhats, Law can kinda understand why it was a non-issue

Besides it wasn’t like they were moving into a frat or something – _Miss Robin was really responsible_

And it wasn’t like Luffy really returned to the house in Mt Corvo after the incident with Ace either. He’s mostly been staying with Rayleigh who had been training Luffy, doing god knows what

He just knows that his boyfriend came back with all these muscles

_So he ain’t complaining_

But Luffy just wasn’t able to go back without Ace. He found it really hard and he wanted to also prove to Ace that he could take care of himself

Ace had seemed much happier and more jovial with Luffy though, which had made Law happy to see. The other clearly didn’t feel the need to be the parent to Luffy anymore and went back to being his brother

It had been a soothing for Luffy’s soul, but also lit a fire under his ass for him to get better

And now Sabo was on the run, which has been hard for Luffy, but they were both confident in Sabo’s abilities to take care of himself

If Law was being honest though, their relationship had evolved considerably in the last two years. Law was now comfortable and at ease in his relationship with Luffy but he knew that college was within their sights. Law knew he was going to be a physician like his parents but he didn’t know what Luffy had planned for the future and it might pull them apart

But if he was honest again with himself, Law knew very well that even if they were apart for a few years, they’ll make it through

 

Soon enough, they were at the quad, the Strawhats in front of them. Penguin and Shachi hadn’t really changed at all if Law in the last two years, well, not that Law could see, but the Strawhats sure did! It was clear that it wasn’t only Luffy who had been training in these last two years; everyone looked much stronger than before

“Hey Law, Bepo! How was Japan?” asked Nami as she pushed her now long hair behind her shoulders

“It was pretty cool, it was a bit rough at times because neither of us knew Japanese, so Cora had to be our interpreter”

When Law thought of that day he came home to find Sengoku bowing on the ground, asking them for forgiveness, he still can’t believe it

He hadn’t forgiven Sengoku _per say_ , but he decided to be civil with the man for Cora’s sake

But going to Japan to meet Sengoku’s parents and see the places that Cora had spent his childhood going to had been super cool!

_He got so many new coins!_

“We have souvenirs for everyone, but I’ll give them during lunch, okay?” added Bepo “I got this super cool map of Edo Japan for you, Nami!”

“What?! That’s awesome!”

Law snorted, their mutual love of maps was honestly pretty cute

He didn’t share Bepo’s enthusiasm for maps, so it was great that he had this friendship with Nami

 

 

“ _Law Trafalgar. The principal would like to see you_ ”

Law froze as he heard the voice behind him

He felt all the blood drain from his face as his memories flashed through his mind

_Oh no_

_It can’t be_

Law slowly turned around, resisting the urge to start shaking as his breath became more and more laboured

_No_

_Please no_

But life was cruel

Right in front of him was the man he never wanted to see again

_Vergo_

Vergo standing there, he was wearing a white coat over a pair of black slacks. Sunglasses indoor and some kind of food stuck on his face – _honestly he looked like a real tool in Law’s books_

But…

_But Law wasn’t any less terrified_

“What are _you_ …doing here?!”

_Memories of snow_

_Memories of betrayal_

_Memories of gunshots_

“How many years has it been? My, how you’ve grown, Law”

“ _Vergo_!” hissed Law, unable to stop himself from snarling at the other man

“It’s _Vice principal_ Vergo to _you_ ”

 

Law instantly knew that now, it was the beginning of a new nightmare

 

_The End of Calystegia_

 

I wasn't kidding about the cake 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first of all;
> 
> Thank you so so much for reading this fic! I can’t believe it took nearly two years to complete this fic but I’m so happy I was able to finish it!  
> When I think the idea came to me suddenly one day but was really born actually three years ago as my sister and I sat in an empty kitchen, waiting for brownies to come out of the over, discussing and fleshing out this idea I had
> 
> Or basically me bouncing ideas off of her
> 
> I was bored at work when I worked at a museum information desk and wanted to do something with my time, so I decided to write down the story I had been playing with in my head for a while and now, here it is ;A; 
> 
> It’s actually rather bittersweet that it’s over, I will write the next part, but I’m not quite sure how since I’m not sure how the POV switching will work, but I’m hoping I’ll be done soon enough!
> 
> Also I promise I’ll write the LawLu first time! It’s going to happen!
> 
> A few people have talked about interest in a published version of the fic – which made me laugh since I’ve been working on one for myself! No real details yet, but it’s going to happen for sure for me, but if you want a copy, let me know! I’ll see what I can set up and do my best to keep the price low! (but it’s going to be a brick, for sure!)
> 
> Also, as promise, the calendars are ready and can be found
> 
> HERE!  
> https://calystegiafic.tumblr.com/
> 
> Surprise! I made you all a tumblr because it’s just so much easier to post things on here! Haha! I hope you enjoy it! I’m hoping I’ll be able to post updates and little things and such regularly! You all deserve as much!
> 
> Anyways, again, thank you so so much! I was terrified when I first posted chapter 1, and when I see the numbers of how many people have read this fic, kudos this fic, etc, it really warms my heart and I’m so incredibly touched ;A;
> 
> This was the little fic that could, and to see what it has become blows me away!
> 
> Expect more fics from me! Maybe not this big, but more stuff for sure! 
> 
> (you should see the werewolf!SmoAce I’ve been secretly working on <_< super indulgent) 
> 
> Thanks again!!  
>  \- Josée


End file.
